TRANSPORT

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the merits of including aviation in the European Emissions Trading Scheme, with particular reference to the likely effect of aviation's demand for carbon permits on other sectors of the economy.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In formulating the collective Government position, a range of impacts of including aviation in the EU ETS has been considered, including the economic impact on other sectors of aviation being a net buyer of carbon allowances.

Buses: Passengers

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of bus passenger numbers in each of the last five years, broken down by constituency.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available from the Department for Transport annual survey of bus operators, although local authority estimates of bus passenger journeys are published by the Audit Commission.

Cycling

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department has spent on advertising the Cycle to Work scheme in each year since the scheme began.

Rosie Winterton: In 2005-06 the Department spent £9,067 on producing the 'Cycle to Work Implementation Guidance'. In 2006-07 the Department's cycling delivery body, Cycling England, produced two promotional leaflets, one for employers and one for employees, which cost £10,710. Cycling England promoted the scheme and leaflets through a marketing agency during the 2006 Bike Week, which focused on cycle commuting and although it is difficult to disaggregate each element of their promotion of Bike Week, we estimate that the cost in specifically promoting Cycle to Work was around £6,000.
	Since 2006 the market has matured considerably with around a dozen commercial providers now in operation and it is therefore in the interests of these providers to promote the scheme. The Department has not incurred any further expenditure other than minimal storage and distribution costs of the guidance and leaflets as they are still available on request.

Cycling

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect on carbon dioxide emissions of the Cycle to Work scheme in each year since the scheme began.

Rosie Winterton: There has been no assessment by the Department of the effect on carbon dioxide of the Cycle to Work scheme. The scheme is not run by the Department but was created by the bicycle industry to take advantage of the tax exemption provided in the Finance Act 1999 and the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003. The Department's role has purely been to assist the bicycle industry in its implementation of the scheme.
	There is no requirement for employers to register the scheme with the Department or Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. As we do not impose a burden on business to register centrally this information, we are not able to determine the precise level of participation in the scheme and therefore its impact on carbon dioxide.

Departmental Buildings

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which buildings occupied by her Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies the lease will be due for renewal in the next four years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The requested information has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 923W, on official cars, if she will require the Government Car and Despatch Agency to undertake an assessment of the effect of its purchasing patterns on the UK car manufacturing sector.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The ministerial car fleet represents an extremely small fraction (less than 0.0001 per cent.) of new cars sold in the UK each year. We do not consider that making an assessment of the impact of this procurement on the domestic car manufacturing industry would be productive.

Driving Tests

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the average change in total costs for driving test candidates which will arise from  (a) the relocation of the Trowbridge driving test centre in Chippendale and  (b) the nationwide programme of test centre closures; and what costs to candidates have been taken into account in making decisions on closures.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 14 July 2008
	No estimate has been made for changes in the total costs for driving test candidates when closing driving test centres in specific areas, or nationwide. This is due to the high number of variables that would have to be taken into account, such as where candidates live and the value they place on their time. Any estimated costs could be based only on assumptions and could result in inaccurate figures.
	The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is a trading fund and costs are largely recovered through test fees paid by driving test candidates. In order to keep any fee increases to a minimum, DSA seeks economies in the way it conducts its business.
	The existing driving test centre provision is constantly monitored to ensure that acceptable service standards are maintained but there is no wasteful over-provision of facilities. The right balance needs to be struck between the provision of a satisfactory level of public service and the cost that service incurs.

M3: Surrey

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the accident rate at  (a) Junction 4A of the M3 and  (b) all three-lane motorway junctions was over the most recent period for which figures are available.

Tom Harris: Based on the three years of accident and traffic data up to 2006, the latest data available, the accident rate at  (a) junction 4A of the M3 is 6.66 accidents per 100 million vehicle-km and  (b) for all three-lane motorway junctions is 11.38 accidents per 100 million vehicle-km.

M66

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of vehicles which travel each day during peak periods between Bury and Manchester on the M66; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Information from the Highways Agency is that during the period Monday 23 June 2008 to Friday 27 June 2008 inclusive, the traffic flows during peak hours on the M66 between Bury and Manchester were:
	
		
			  Vehicle volumes per hour between M66 junction 3 and M60/M62 junction 
			  Time of day  Total vehicles per hour 
			 Southbound 7 am to 10 am 4,291 
			 Northbound 7 am to 10 am 3,170 
			 Southbound 4 pm to 7 pm 3,146 
			 Northbound 4 pm to 7 pm 4,294 
		
	
	These figures represent typical vehicle volumes for that route.

Motor Vehicles: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of households in London who owned  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four or more cars in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table gives estimated car ownership figures for households in London for the last five years, based on data from the National Travel survey.
	
		
			  Household car availability, London, 2002-06 
			  Percentage 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 None 40 41 42 39 38 
			 One 42 38 40 43 46 
			 Two 16 18 15 15 13 
			 Three 3 2 2 2 3 
			 Four or more <1 1 1 1 1 
			   
			 Total(1) 100 100 100 100 100 
			 (1) Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Motor Vehicles: Safety Measures

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her most recent estimate is of the percentage of towing mirrors on sale which have been E-marked.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department does not collect information on the number of towing mirrors on sale.

Motorways: Closures

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of costs to the economy of  (a) the North West and  (b) the UK arising from motorway closures in 2007.

Tom Harris: Figures on the cost of motorway closures to the economy are not routinely calculated.
	However, delays are calculated for 91 routes covering most of the strategic road network, including strategic motorway routes in the North West. An estimate of daytime delays (6 am to 8 pm) for each of these routes is available for the period January to December 2007. This information was placed in the House Libraries of the House in response to an answer on 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 1029-30W to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker).
	Figures are presented on a rolling year basis. Delay is calculated as the difference between observed journey time and a reference journey time (the time that could theoretically be achieved when the traffic is free flowing). Figures for average delays on motorways and trunk roads for individual regions are not calculated on this basis.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 923W, on official cars, if she will make an assessment of the effects of procurement policies for ministerial cars on the domestic car manufacturing industry.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The ministerial car fleet represents an extremely small fraction (less than 0.0001 per cent.) of new cars sold in the UK each year. We do not consider that making an assessment of the impact of this procurement on the domestic car manufacturing industry would be productive.

Parking

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 938-9W, on fixed penalties: appeals, what methods of redress are available to those whose parking contraventions have been observed or detected since 30 March 2008.

Rosie Winterton: A motorist who considers that a penalty charge notice (PCN) served on or after 31 March 2008 did not contain the correct information may first make informal representation to the local authority. If this is rejected and the PCN is not paid, a notice to owner is served, against which a motorist may make a formal representation. If the formal representation is rejected, the motorist may appeal to a parking adjudicator.
	Fixed penalty notices are only issued by the Police service.

Parking

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average charge for a two-hour stay during working hours in a municipal car park is in each English local authority area.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held by central Government.

Parking

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what parking charges are applied at council-owned parking facilities in South Northamptonshire.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held by central Government.

Parking: Schools

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance her Department has issued on the enforcement of parking restrictions in areas denoted by zig-zag road markings outside school gates.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Transport's guidance about parking enforcement covers the theory and principles of the process. It does not advise on how the process might be applied in particular situations. Those are decisions for the local authority concerned.

Road Traffic Offences: Cameras

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will instruct each safety camera partnership to publish the revenue resulting from fines attributable to each individual speed camera within their area on an annual basis.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There are no plans to instruct partnerships to publish details of fine revenue attributable to individual speed cameras. Since 1 April 2007 the individual local partnerships have had full responsibility for the deployment and operation of cameras, and publication of any such information is entirely a matter for them.

Road Accidents: Outside Schools

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of trends in occurrences of injuries to  (a) children and  (b) adults caused by traffic outside school gates.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Although the location of accidents is collected no work has been done centrally to match these against school addresses and no assessment of trends has been made. Data on injuries sustained by children and young people under 17 on the journey to and from school, some of which may have been outside the school gates, show a downward trend which mirrors the decrease in all children's casualties.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Responsibilities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many reviews of regulation  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have conducted or commenced since July 2007; and in which areas.

Shaun Woodward: Since July 2007 the Northern Ireland Office and its agencies have not conducted any reviews on regulation.
	We are considering the appropriate timing for post legislative scrutiny of Northern Ireland Acts and Orders in Council on excepted and reserved matters that have received Royal Assent since 2005.
	We will be agreeing the handling of these reviews with the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.

WALES

Departmental Official Hospitality

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many receptions he has hosted and funded in his capacity as Secretary of State in the last 12 months; which individuals and organisations  (a) were invited to and  (b) attended each reception; and what the cost was of each reception.

Paul Murphy: Since my re-appointment as Secretary of State in January I have hosted one reception on 27 February to celebrate St. David's Day. Approximately 150 guests attended, including parliamentarians from all parties in both Houses, journalists and others with an interest in Wales. The cost of the reception was £3,059.23.

Smoking

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the number of people in Wales who smoked in the latest year for which figures are available.

Paul Murphy: The latest available statistics were published in "Smoking in Wales: Current Facts" published jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Wales Centre for Health in November 2007.
	Statistics show that in 2005-06, 25 per cent. of adults in Wales reported that they currently smoked, while regular smoking was reported by 19 per cent. of 15-year-old boys and 28 per cent. of 15-year-old girls in 2004.
	However, in 2006-07, more than 12,000 people contacted smoking cessation services and the percentage of adults in Wales who smoke has fallen 15 per cent. over the last 30 years.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what recent assessment she has made of the potential economic effects of the 2012 Olympic Games on each region.

Tessa Jowell: Businesses around the UK will win contracts in the London 2012 supply chains, but there are many other ways in which each region will gain economic benefits from the 2012 games. These include the boost to the tourism industry, the opportunity to inspire people to develop their skills, and using volunteering to improve skills. The pre-games training camps will enable regions to attract inward investment and showcase themselves on an international stage, and UKTI are developing programmes to use the games as a springboard for export.
	There is no detailed breakdown of how much each region will benefit in each of these areas. However, the Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are working hard to ensure the benefits of 2012 are realised across the UK and have established a Nations and Regions Group (NRG).
	All regions, working through the NRG, have now published their own plans to maximise the benefits and opportunities of the 2012 games. Full details of the plans are available via the Nations and Regions pages on the London 2012 website at:
	http://www.london2012.com/in-your-area/index.php

Olympic Games 2012: Contaminated Land

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister for the Olympics to which location contaminated soil or other contaminated material found at the Olympic Park site has been transported for disposal; what volumes of material are involved; and what contaminants have been discovered.

Tessa Jowell: The ODA had calculated that earthworks totalling 1.6 million tonnes of soil is necessary in preparing the Olympic Park site for construction of work. Of this, around 1 million tonnes will require treatment.
	To date, less than 2 per cent. has been transported off-site for landfill disposal at Environment Agency approved sites across the UK. The locations of those sites are:
	Kings Cliff, Cambridgeshire (Augean Kings Cliff);
	Dudley, West Midlands (Himley Quarry);
	Teesside, North Yorkshire (Impetus Waste Management ICI 3);
	Barling Magna, Essex (Barling Landfill);
	Purton, North Wiltshire (Parkgate Farm Landfill);
	Middlesbrough, Cleveland (Augean Middlesbrough).
	Also, a small percentage of asbestos-contaminated material has been removed off-site during the demolition phase to approved specialist sites for safe disposal. Those sites are:
	Kings Cliff, Cambridgeshire (Augean Kings Cliff);
	High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire (Biffa Waste);
	Dartford, Kent (Pinden Plant and Processing);
	Taunton, Somerset (Viridor Waste Management);
	Teesside, North Yorkshire (Impetus Waste Management ICI 3).
	Other contaminants discovered on-site include hydrocarbons, industrial chemicals, heavy materials and a very small amount of low level radioactive material. A report on the radium find from the ODA's specialist contractor stated that
	"no worker or member of the public has been unnecessarily exposed to ionising radiation"
	which registered low or very low levels of radioactivity. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was consulted immediately following the find, with the Environment Agency, Newham Environmental Health and the planning authority informed and consulted on safe transit and disposal.
	Much of the other contaminants are treated at source and the cleansed material, where appropriate, reused in the landscaping and foundations work of the Olympic Park.
	The ODA is currently exceeding its 90 per cent. target of reclaiming material for recycling or reuse from its demolition and remediation works.

Olympic Games 2012: Security

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether she has approved a draft costed security plan for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: The Home Secretary is responsible for the security in the London 2012 Olympic games. The security plan is in the course of preparation by a process which, in relation to the overall objective of a safe and secure games, is proportionate and affordable. The plan is being developed in close discussion with all relevant stakeholders and will be delivered with costs at the end of the year.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan and Australia: Morphine

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Answer of 8th February 2007 by Lord Triesman, PQ HL1749, what his most recent estimate is of the costs of producing morphine in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Australia; and on what bases the costs are estimated.

Meg Munn: holding answer 1 July 2008
	 In 2008, we estimate that it costs US$385 to produce one kilogram of morphine equivalent(1) in Afghanistan. However, this is the 'farm gate' cost of illegal opium production, not the manufacturing cost of the final morphine product. This does not therefore include the following: regulation and security (policing of product, security of product transport from farm to factory); processing; equipment; chemicals; labour costs; and other business costs. These costs are unknown for Afghanistan. We estimate that the breakdown of costs for opium production in Afghanistan (per hectare) is as follows: production costs include fertiliser (estimated at 250 kilograms of urea and 250 kilograms of diammonium phosphate per hectare at a cost of US$210); oxen (at a rate of 10 days per hectare at a cost of US$8 per day); 350 labour days, including 200 days for harvesting (at an estimated wage rate of US$4 per day); and 150 days for land preparation; sowing; weeding; field clearance and seed collection (at an estimated rate of US$2.80 per day).
	The Australian Crime Commission advise that it costs a licit manufacturer in Australia approximately US$300 (as at 30 June 2008) to produce one kilogram of morphine. This is the cost of the final product, not the 'farm gate' cost. Due to the commercially sensitive nature of these data, a breakdown of the Australian Crime Commission figures is not available. In 1999 the International Narcotics Control Board stated that the price paid to growers was US$56 for each kilogram of morphine equivalent. The breakdown of these costs is also confidential.
	(1) This assumes opium production of around 40 kilograms per hectare and that 10 kilograms of opium is required to produce one kilogram of morphine equivalent.

Bosco Ntaganda

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking together with its international partners to ensure that the Government of Democratic Republic of Congo complies with the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for Bosco Ntaganda.

Meg Munn: The UK is ready to provide whatever assistance may be required to ensure that those accused of the most serious crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) are brought into custody. Co-operation between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the ICC has already led to the arrest of three DRC nationals, as part of the ICC's investigations into the situation in the DRC. We expect the Government of the DRC to provide the same level of co-operation over the arrest of Bosco Ntaganda.

China: Taiwan

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of relations between China and Taiwan.

Meg Munn: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said publicly on 22 March, the change of administration in Taiwan is a real opportunity to renew efforts to improve cross-Strait relations. We hope that the Chinese Government and Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou's administration will continue to engage in direct dialogue to resolve differences and strengthen cross-Strait stability, with a view to finding a peaceful solution to the Taiwan issue, acceptable to the people of both sides of the Strait. We support the EU declaration of 26 May and the EU presidency statement of 13 June which similarly sought to encourage this dialogue and welcome the practical results seen so far. These include the institution of regular direct weekend charter flights between mainland China and Taiwan, which started on 4 July.

Departmental Consultants

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on consultancy fees in each of the last five years.

Meg Munn: holding answer 30 June 2008
	 Annual expenditure on consultants is published in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's annual departmental reports, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. The two most recent departmental reports also contain details of expenditure on the top five consultancy contractors.

Departmental Early Retirement

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his  (a) Department and  (b) Department's agencies have taken early retirement in the last two years.

Meg Munn: A total of 305 staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have taken early retirement in the two years up to 1 July 2008, of whom 19 were FCO services staff. The reasons for granting early retirement range from redundancy to ill health. During this period, there were two restructuring exercises which led to a higher than expected number of early retirements: one reduced the size of the FCO's senior management structure by almost 20 per cent.; and the other involved the closure of a number of business units in preparation for the launch of FCO Services as a Trading Fund from April 2008.
	All payments to those who took early retirement with compensation were made in strict accordance with the terms of the Civil Service Compensation scheme.

Departmental Surveys

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place a copy of his Department's most recent annual staff survey in the Library.

David Miliband: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) most recent annual staff survey was concluded in December 2007. The results are already available in the public domain. They have been published on two sites: the civil service website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/documents/staff-survey/FCO2007.pdf
	and the FCO's website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/departmental-report/part2/public-diplomacy/.
	I will also arrange for a copy to be forwarded to the Library of the House.

Members: Correspondence

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Thurrock of 20th May 2008 on the visit to the US of HRH the Prince of Wales in 2006; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply to the letter.

Meg Munn: I replied on 9 July to my hon. Friend's letter of 20 May on the visit to the US of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in 2006. The delay in replying was caused by the length of time needed to research the response thoroughly.

Personal Injury

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the highest 10 payments made by his Department in settlement of personal injury claims brought against it were over the last 12 months for which figures are available; which of those cases were  (a) contested and  (b) uncontested by the Department; and what the nature of the incident was in each case.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have settled two personal injury claims in the last twelve months. Neither claim was contested by the Department. The payments were:
	£4,000.00—Not contested—for fingers trapped in door; and
	£3,871.02—Not contested—for manual handling accident.

Republic of Ireland: Treaty of Lisbon

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborourgh (Mr. Bone) of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 779W, on the Republic of Ireland: Lisbon Treaty, under what circumstances the Government can withdraw an instrument of ratification in respect of an international treaty once it has been deposited with the treaty depositary; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 14 July 2008
	 The EU (Amendment) Bill received Royal Assent on 19 June. We are proceeding to ratification in the usual way; once prepared, the instrument of ratification will be deposited with the Italian Government in Rome. Once deposited, it will not be withdrawn.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Trade

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many trade inquiries were handled by the British high commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department has incurred on the promotion of trade with the Maldives in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	The UKTI Trade and Investment team in Colombo handled 241 trade inquiries for the period from April 2007 to March 2008.
	UKTI has neither a presence in the Maldives nor financial resources specifically dedicated to the promotion of trade with the islands. No change in this position is currently envisaged.
	The British high commission in Colombo (Sri Lanka) however handles inquiries about trade with the Maldives on a reactive basis and companies interested in trading with the islands have access to background information via the UKTI website.

Westminster Foundation for Democracy: Finance

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding his Department has provided to the Westminster Foundation for Democracy in the last three years; and how many days of training for parliamentarians from developing countries the Foundation has delivered in that period.

Meg Munn: From 2005-08 the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) received £4.1 million annually in grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In addition to this, from 2006-08 WFD received £432,000 from the FCO's Global Opportunities Fund to implement regional projects on behalf of the FCO.
	WFD has delivered 192 framing days for parliamentarians in the following countries:
	Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kyrgyzstari, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Bahrain, Peru, Yemen, Chile, Namibia, Belarus, Turkey and Palestine and regional projects in the Balkans, the Caribbean, Central Europe and Africa.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Official Cars

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Leader of the House which make and model of car she has chosen as her ministerial car to be provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Helen Goodman: The Leader of the House's current ministerial car is a Toyota Prius leased under agreement by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members claimed additional costs allowance in respect of a second home  (a) in London,  (b) in the hon. Member's constituency and  (c) elsewhere in the last period for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: Hon. Members are entitled to claim the additional costs allowance when staying away from their main home on parliamentary business. The allowance may be used for help with the cost of purchase or rental of a property, or for hotel or other overnight costs. Currently 441 Members claim the allowance for staying in London and 148 in their constituency.
	Of the 148 Members claiming the allowance for staying in the constituency, 34 have homes that fall outside the constituency boundary. All of these are within 20 miles of the boundary, in accordance with the rules that allow second homes to be located up to 20 miles outside the constituency.

Public Sector: Pay

Paul Burstow: To ask the Leader of the House what the median relevant increase for the public sector groups which will in future be used in the uprating formula for the salaries of hon. Members was in each of the last 10 years.

Helen Goodman: The information requested is not easily obtainable within the normal timescales for answering written parliamentary questions. I will write to the hon. Member with the information shortly.

TREASURY

Bank Melli plc

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government have evidence that Bank Melli plc has been in breach of UN Security Council resolutions 1737, 1747 and 1803.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 8 July 2008
	The Government expect all financial institutions in the UK to comply with financial sanctions and any evidence of a breach would be investigated. We cannot comment on individual cases.

Bank Melli plc

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the EU designation and his Department's asset freeze imposed on Bank Melli plc is  (a) related to Bank Melli plc's activities or  (b) aimed at the holding company in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 8 July 2008
	The financial sanctions imposed on Bank Melli plc are directly applicable EC sanctions which the UK has an obligation to enforce. The EC sanctions designated Bank Melli Iran and its branches and subsidiaries abroad, including Melli Bank plc and Bank Melli Iran Zao. As the relevant Council Decision makes clear, Melli Bank plc is designated for financial sanctions as a part of the Bank Melli group and as a subsidiary of Bank Melli Iran.

Capital Allowances: Rural Areas

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of capital allowances on buildings in rural areas.

Jane Kennedy: The phased withdrawal of agricultural buildings allowances (ABAs) is part of a package of measures which also saw the reduction in the main rate of corporation tax and the basic rate of income tax and the introduction of a £50,000 annual investment allowance, allowing 95 per cent. of businesses to write-off all their expenditure on plant and machinery (apart from cars) in the year in which it is made. An impact assessment in respect of the business tax reform package as a whole was published as part of the December 2007 technical note on the capital allowances changes. A link to that document is as follows:
	http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/crannelsPortalWebApp/channels PortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=page_Library_ ConsultationDocuments&propertyType=document& columns=1&id=HMCEPROD1_028217

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2008,  Official Report, column 818W, on council tax: valuation, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's  (a) guidance and  (b) manual in relation to using the TENET software.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 9 January 2006, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman),  Official Report, column 250W.

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1622W, on council tax: valuation, which external contractors assisted with the development of the council tax banding support tool.

Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency's council tax banding support tool was developed with assistance from CapGemini, SAS and Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies.

Council Tax: Wales

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1622W, on council tax: Wales, how many households moved  (a) up and  (b) down bands consequent on the 2005 council tax revaluation in Wales.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1622W.

Departmental ICT

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of his Department's computer systems  (a) was at the time of purchase and  (b) is now.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the published Annual Report and Accounts of the Treasury 2006-07 (HC 518), pages 135 and 136.
	To separately identify the value at purchase and value now of each component of the Treasury's computer system could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Research

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether projects or research have been commissioned from the Institute for Public Policy Research by  (a) his Department or  (b) the Valuation Office Agency in the last 12 months; and on what topics.

Jane Kennedy: No. HMRC does not hold the requested information centrally and it could be collated only at disproportionate cost. None has been commissioned by the VOA.

Departmental Sick Leave

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many sick days were taken by employees in  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility due to (i) stress and (ii) mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of sick days taken this represented in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Information relating to the Treasury and its agencies for 2004, 2005, 2006-07 can be found on the Civil Service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp.
	All three illnesses are grouped together under the ICD code 'Mental and Behavioural Disorders'.
	Data for 2007-08 are not yet available but will be published later in the year. Information for years prior to 2004 data is not held electronically and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Financial Capability Action Plan

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the £200 million funding for the new Financial Capability Action Plan has not been previously announced.

Kitty Ussher: The Financial Capability Action Plan, published jointly by HM Treasury and the Financial Services Authority, made reference to various different projects to improve financial capability in the UK. This included over £200 million Government funding for debt advice, to help people in serious financial difficulty, which had been previously announced.

Foreign Investment in UK: India

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much foreign direct investment into the UK was from Indian investors in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes data on foreign direct investment (FDI) annually in the "Business Monitor MA4: Foreign Direct Investment". The latest available data on FDI are for 2006, as follows, and available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/MA42006.pdf
	
		
			  Net FDI international positions in the United Kingdom,  1998  to 2006 
			   Stock of FDI from India to UK (£ million) 
			 1998 94 
			 1999 104 
			 2000 182 
			 2001 162 
			 2002 162 
			 2003 194 
			 2004 164 
			 2005 518 
			 2006 795 
			  Source: Table 6.1 in Business Monitor MA4: Foreign Direct Investment 2006.

Housing: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answers of  (a) 17 March 2008,  Official Report, column 899W and  (b) 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1628W, on the Valuation Office, what the value impact is, in numerical terms, of each of dwelling house codes 01 to 09, as identified during the calibration of the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model.

Jane Kennedy: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1635W, on housing: valuation, if he will outline each substantive change to the coding guide made since January 2005; and on what date each change was made;
	(2)  whether the copy of the coding guide on the Valuation Office Agency website is the most up to date available version of the guide incorporating all changes made since January 2005.

Jane Kennedy: The Dwellinghouse Coding Guide currently shown on the Valuation Office Agency website is the most up to date version. The majority of the changes to the guide since January 2005 have been of a minor nature, and a compiled list could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Income Tax

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue from each  (a) London borough area and  (b) metropolitan authority area which would accrue from the addition of one penny to the basic rate of income tax.

Jane Kennedy: Information on the mean and median tax liability of taxpayers living in the London boroughs and metropolitan authorities can be found in table 3.14 "Income and tax by borough and district or unitary authority" on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm#314
	The information is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and 2005-06 is the latest year available.
	The yield for the UK from a 1p change in the basic rate of income tax can be found in table 1.6 "Direct effects of illustrative tax changes" on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/menu.htm
	A breakdown of the yield by borough and district or unitary authority is not available as sample sizes at these levels of geography are small and can demonstrate a large variability from year to year.

PAYE

Nick Ainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of  (a) the average tax overpayment and  (b) the average tax underpayment for each PAYE account following clerical review in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Approximately 70 per cent. of PAYE records clear automatically each year with no need for clerical review.
	Of the remainder, it is estimated that in 77 per cent. of cases the tax has been correctly paid, in 17 per cent. of cases customers are owed an average of £350 and in 6 per cent. of cases HM Revenue and Customs is owed an average of £300.

Personal Injury

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the highest 10 payments made by his Department in settlement of personal injury claims brought against it were over the last 12 months for which figures are available; which of those cases were  (a) contested and  (b) uncontested by the Department; and what the nature of the incident was in each case.

Angela Eagle: There were no personal injury claims brought against the Treasury in the last 12 months, April 2007-March 2008 for which figures are available.

Revenue and Customs: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the relative performance against objectives of HM Revenue and Customs staff at  (a) Chorley,  (b) Bolton,  (c) Blackburn and  (d) St. Helens; when a Minister from his Department last visited each such office; and what (i) timetable and (ii) details for re-organisation of these offices (A) were originally announced to staff and (B) are now in place.

Jane Kennedy: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave on 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 966W. The reasons for offices being either retained or closed under HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) work force change programme is not a reflection on the current performance of staff working in those offices.
	I have not visited the HMRC offices in Chorley, Bolton, Blackburn or St. Helens.
	Announcements of decisions on those offices were made on 29 February 2008. In those announcements staff were informed that some movement of work and staff would commence in spring 2008 and continue as alternative accommodation became ready.

Revenue and Customs: Rightmove

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the decision was taken to extend the HM Revenue and Customs and Valuation Office Agency contract with Rightmove.co.uk plc; and what the estimated cost is of the extension.

Jane Kennedy: A decision to extend the contract has not yet been taken.

Revenue and Customs: Rightmove

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the status of the contract between Rightmove.co.uk plc and HM Revenue and Customs and the Valuation Office Agency is; and what the termination date of the contract is.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1444W.

Revenue and Customs: Weston-Super-Mare

John Penrose: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a full equality impact assessment was carried out on the effects on  (a) staff and  (b) service users of the proposal to close the HM Revenue and Customs office in Weston-Super-Mare.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is restructuring its business and estate across the whole of the UK in order to achieve business efficiencies and customer service improvements, and release surplus accommodation. On 11 June 2008, proposals were published for the HMRC office in Weston-Super-Mare, which envisage withdrawal from that office. These proposals are under consultation and no final decision has been made. An overview impact assessment which included the Weston-Super-Mare office was published on the same day. Feasibility work undertaken by HMRC before recommendations are made include assessment of the impact of closure on staff, customers and the wider community. This includes any equality impacts.
	If the final decision is to withdraw from Weston-Super-Mare, an impact assessment will be published at that point, with an Equality Impact Assessment as an appendix to this document.

Revenue and Customs: Weston-Super-Mare

John Penrose: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the business case for the proposal to close the HM Revenue and Customs office in Weston-Super-Mare.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs do not produce a single business case document for any specific building or location. The overall business case within which HMRC's regional review programme operates is its need to restructure in order to achieve the required efficiency savings and customer service improvements. Most of these savings are realised at business unit or even departmental level, and cannot realistically be apportioned to particular offices.

Taxis

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of registration of a private hire vehicle is in each local authority.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	There are 342 taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing authorities in England and Wales. Under the relevant legislation each authority is permitted to set its licence fees at such a level as to enable it to cover the costs of administering the licensing system. Fees therefore vary from area to area depending on the administrative costs incurred.
	Information is not collected centrally on the fees charged by each authority. However, a small-scale sample survey of authorities we undertook in 2006 indicated an average fee of around £200 for a vehicle licence. Fees are also charged for the award of a PHV driver's licence and an operator's licence.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 1628-9W, on the Valuation Office, on what date in each month between March 2003 and November 2005 the Council Tax Revaluation Programme Board (England) met.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 341W.

Valuation Office Agency Local Authority Liaison Group

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the Valuation Office Agency Local Authority Liaison Group has met since April 2006.

Jane Kennedy: The Local Authority Liaison Group has met five times since April 2006.

Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1629W, on Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble, if he will place in the Library copies of the OASIS training manual and supporting documentation held by the Valuation Office Agency.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 January 2006, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman),  Official Report, column 250W.

Valuation Office: ICT

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1629W, on Valuation Office: ICT, how many localities there are in each billing authority area in London.

Jane Kennedy: The number of localities in each billing authority area in London at 2( )April 2008 was as follows:
	
		
			  Billing authority  Count of localities( 1) 
			 Barking and Dagenham 17 
			 Barnet 23 
			 Bexley 40 
			 Brent 18 
			 Bromley 54 
			 Camden 46 
			 City of London 3 
			 Croydon 40 
			 Ealing 24 
			 Enfield 26 
			 Greenwich 55 
			 Hackney 50 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 55 
			 Haringey 15 
			 Harrow 17 
			 Havering 17 
			 Hillingdon 20 
			 Hounslow 21 
			 Islington 47 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 47 
			 Kingston upon Thames 41 
			 Lambeth 37 
			 Lewisham 35 
			 Merton 39 
			 Newham 29 
			 Redbridge 21 
			 Richmond upon Thames 41 
			 Southwark 46 
			 Sutton 36 
			 Tower Hamlets 44 
			 Waltham Forest 15 
			 Wandsworth 58 
			 Westminster 57 
			 (1) As at 2 April 2008.

Valuation Office: ICT

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding the Valuebill project has received from the Invest to Save budget.

Jane Kennedy: The Invest to Save budget has not provided funding for the Valuebill project.

Valuation Office: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which projects sponsored by the Valuation Office Agency have been subject to Gateway reviews since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The postponed Council Tax Revaluation Programme.

Valuation Office: Travel

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's guidelines on travelling and subsistence contained in Section 7 of The Guide publication on the Agency's intranet.

Jane Kennedy: A copy of section 7 of the Valuation Office Agency's guide has been placed in the Library.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Shows

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which rural and agricultural shows Ministers from his Department  (a) have attended in 2008 and  (b) plan to attend before 31 September 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The rural and agricultural shows that Ministers from my Department have  (a) attended so far in 2008, and  (b) plan to attend before 31 September 2008 are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Show  Date visited/planned  Minister attending 
			 British Pig and Poultry Fair 13 May Jeff Rooker 
			
			 Devon County Show 15 May Jeff Rooker 
			
			 Royal Show 3 July Jeff Rooker 
			  4 July Hilary Benn 
			
			 Great Yorkshire Show 10 July Hilary Benn 
			
			 Kent County Show 11 July Jonathan Shaw 
			
			 Cumberland Show 19 July Jeff Rooker 
			
			 CLA Game Fair 26 July Jeff Rooker 
			
			 Dairy Event 17 September Jeff Rooker 
			
			 Royal Norfolk Show 26 June Jonathan Shaw

Agricultural Land

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of changes in the price of agricultural land on the  (a) profitability and  (b) productivity of English agriculture.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA have not made a specific assessment on the effects of changes in the price of agricultural land on the profitability and productivity of English agriculture.
	DEFRA publish aggregate balance sheets for agriculture in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom". The balance sheet shows the value of fixed assets at a point in time (December each year) and the value of liabilities at a point in time. Fixed assets are dominated by land. As the volume of land is unchanging, the trend in the value of land and buildings is dominated by the effect of land prices. The latest balance sheet shows the value of UK agricultural land and buildings increasing by 40 per cent. at current prices, between 2003 and 2006.
	Changes in profitability of farming are measured by changes to Farm Business Income. Data on Farm Business Incomes are provided by the annual Farm Business Survey conducted in England. These figures are for March/February years. The most recent published figures show Farm Business Income in England at the all types level falling by 2.5 per cent. at current prices, between the years 2003-04 and 2006-07 (to then increase sharply in 2007-08).
	Productivity for UK agriculture, measured by Total Factor Productivity, is published in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom". The latest publication shows UK agricultural productivity increasing by 5 per cent. between the years 2003 and 2006.

Agriculture: Public Sector

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice his Department provides to British farmers to assist them in supplying fruit and vegetables to the public sector.

Jonathan R Shaw: There is a page on the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative web site that is devoted to providing advice to UK farmers on how to supply fruit and vegetables and other produce to the public sector. The page can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/sellingpublic.htm.
	The page, for example, contains the guide "Selling to the public sector" which explains how growers (and farmers) can take advantage of opportunities to supply food to the public sector either directly or indirectly via the supply chain of a primary supplier. The guide also includes short case studies showing how small and local producers have worked successfully with the public sector and lists useful sources of further information and advice.
	DEFRA is also funding the Government offices for the regions to undertake workshops and projects to improve the supply of domestically grown fruit and vegetables into the public sector. It is also working through key stakeholders such as the NFU and English Farming and Food Partnerships to provide advice and support to producers.

Bees: Diseases

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider increasing his Department's spending on bee health research.

Jonathan R Shaw: An additional £90,000 has been allocated to the National Bee Unit this financial year to expand investigations started last year under a Horizon Scanning project into significant colony losses and to meet the demand for increased inspections of bee imports consequential to the colony losses.
	Research priorities are addressed in the draft Bee Health strategy which has recently been published for public consultation. Commissioned research in later years will be considered in the light of priorities identified in the agreed strategy and the resources available from DEFRA and elsewhere.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of those cattle slaughtered as reactors and inconclusives under the bovine tuberculosis eradication scheme, how many  (a) were found to be free of tuberculosis through (i) visual inspections of lesions and (ii) culturing of tissue samples after death and  (b) entered the human food chain in each of the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows the number of cattle slaughtered under bovine tuberculosis (TB) control measures in England in each of the last three years, and details the number of cattle where infection with  Mycobacterium bovis ( M. bovis) was not confirmed at post mortem examination.
	
		
			   England 
			   Number of cattle slaughtered( 1)  Infection not confirmed at post-mortem examination 
			 2005 23,135 10,243 
			 2006(2) 16,006 6,385 
			 2007(2) 19,777 7,470 
			 (1) Includes cattle slaughtered as skin and gamma-interferon (gIFN) test reactors, skin test inconclusive reactors and direct contacts. (2) 2006-07 figures are provisional, subject to change as more data become available. 
		
	
	Following a TB breakdown, we aim to carry out post-mortem inspections of all the slaughtered cattle. Tissue samples are taken from the reactor (or if several animals must be removed, from a representative subset of those), to attempt isolation and molecular typing of the causative organism in the laboratory. This is done to support epidemiological investigations and management of the incident, rather than to validate the ante-mortem test results.
	Failure to detect lesions of TB by post-mortem examination, or to culture  M. bovis in the laboratory, does not imply that a test reactor was not infected with bovine TB. With TB in cattle, it is frequently not possible to observe lesions during abattoir post-mortem examination and, due to the fastidious nature of this organism, it is very difficult to isolate it from tissue samples without visible lesions.
	Meaningful confirmation proportions for TB test reactors cannot be provided, as substantial numbers of skin and gIFN positive animals are not subject to laboratory culture, for example, once infection has already been identified in other cattle from the same herd.
	Responsibility for inspecting TB carcases and their associated offal rests with the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS). Under the EU Food Hygiene Regulations, all animals herds with no visible tuberculosis lesions, plus any cattle with visible tuberculosis lesions localised in one organ or one part of the carcase, will have been considered fit for human consumption by the MHS.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what income to the public purse resulted from cattle that were slaughtered as reactors and inconclusives in the tuberculosis eradication scheme entering the human food chain in each of the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The amount of money received by the Government from the sale of the cattle slaughtered as reactors and inconclusives in England, as a result of bovine tuberculosis control measures from 2004-05 to 2006-07 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Amount received 
			   £ million 
			 2004-05 3.1 
			 2005-06 4.9 
			 2006-07 1.1

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccines

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department plans to spend on research for a  (a) wildlife and  (b) cattle vaccine against bovine tuberculosis in 2008-09; and what plans he has for such spending in the next two years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 10 July 2008
	As part of DEFRA's commitment to tackling the issue of bovine TB (bTB), we have invested in a significant research programme looking into the development of vaccines for both cattle and badgers. The total investment (since 1998) in vaccine development reached more than £17.8 million by March 2008, with over £5.5 million invested in cattle and badger vaccine research last financial year (2007-08).
	On 7 July 2008, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced a commitment to additional funding over the next three years. During this time period, £20 million will be spent on vaccine development to strengthen the prospects of successfully developing a usable vaccine.
	The increased funding will not result in a vaccine being available sooner. While the programme of research has been designed to minimise the time required to deliver licensed vaccines, research by its nature takes time and a significant proportion of the work can only be addressed sequentially.
	The exact scope and cost of the research projects is in the process of being finalised, approximate projected spending is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Estimated spend (£ million) 
			  Vaccine type  2008-09  2009-2011  Total for CSR period 
			 Badger (injectable and oral) 2.3 4.7 7 
			 Cattle (including diagnostic test) 4.3 8.7 13 
			 Total 6.6 13.4 20 
		
	
	The larger budget for cattle research reflects the high costs of keeping infected cattle under stringent biosecurity containment in the laboratory.

Cumbria

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed by his predecessor Department in Cumbria in 1997; and how many were employed by his Department in Cumbria at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: The number of staff employed by DEFRA's predecessor Department in Cumbria in 1997 is unavailable.
	The number of staff (in full-time equivalents) employed at DEFRA's offices in Cumbria as at 30 June 2008 was as follows:
	
		
			   Full-time equivalent 
			 Carlisle (DEFRA) 1.00 
			 Carlisle (Animal Health) 40.79 
			 Carlisle (Rural Payments Agency) 377.57 
			 Penrith (Veterinary Laboratories Agency) 25.18 
			 Whitehaven (Marine and Fisheries Agency) 1.54 
			 Workington (Rural Payments Agency) 672.37 
			 Total 1,118.45

Departmental Aviation

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost.

Jonathan R Shaw: From information held centrally and for the period April 2007 to March 2008 inclusive the information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Body  Expenditure (£)  Number of tickets 
			 CEFAS 1,196 14 
			 Core-DEFRA 64,817 715 
			 GDS 205 2 
			 MFA 11,147 103 
			 Animal Health 15,009 186 
			 Rural Payments Agency 267,405 2,573 
		
	
	Expenditure on travel is undertaken in accordance with departmental travel policy.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on  (a) new capital investment and  (b) refurbishment of property in each of the last 10 years, broken down by project.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information for the period requested, broken down for the period from June 2001 onwards, being the inception of DEFRA, could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Department did not have systems in place to record all the information in the format requested and it would take several days to review systems and track all individual projects.
	However spend, excluding property disposal income, against the Department's capital investment programme, on new and refurbishment projects but excluding projects for a number of its agencies (VLA, VMD, CSL, CEFAS) for the period 2001 has been identified as (rounded to the nearest £1 million):
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-03 5 
			 2002-03 9 
			 2003-04 13 
			 2004-05 24 
			 2005-06 22 
			 2006-07 18 
			 2007-08 19 
		
	
	During this period the following specific projects in excess of £0.5 million were undertaken and completed:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 London, 3-8 Whitehall Place—Fit out of developer led scheme 2.11 
			 London, Nobel House—Major refurbishment 33.9 
			 London, 55 Whitehall—Major refurbishment 4.97 
			 London, Ergon House—Major refurbishments 3.5 
			 London, 9 Millbank—Major refurbishments 3.0 
			 Workington, BCMS Offices—New build modular offices 1.5 
			 London, Eastbury House—Major refurbishments 1.3 
			 Reading, Northgate House—Fit out of new Innovation Centre 1.51 
			 Stafford, RAF Stafford—Fit out for new GDS agency 0.96 
			 Worcester, Whittington Road—Major refurbishments 2.25 
			 London, Ashdown House—Major refurbishments 4.39 
		
	
	Spend in the period 2005-08 period also includes circa £40 million value of projects currently in progress.

Departmental Buildings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) new builds and  (b) major refurbishments were completed by his Department for a cost in excess of £0.5 million in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08 to which the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method or equivalent was applied; how many such buildings were assessed as (A) pass, (B) good, (C) very good and (D) excellent; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department, excluding a number of its agencies (VMD, CSL, CEFAS) have undertaken and completed BREEAM assessments on a number of new builds and major refurbishments with a value of exceeding £0.5 million as follows:
	
		
			   Project title  Rating 
			 2005-06 New Build—SVS Offices Carmarthen Excellent Design 
			 2005-06 New Build—3-8 Whitehall Place Excellent Design 
			 2005-06 New Build—Mills Building (VLA) Excellent Design 
			 2005-06 New Build—Stewart Stockman Building (VLA) Very Good Design(1) 
			 2005-06 Major Refurbishment—55 Whitehall Very Good Design(2) 
			
			 2006-07 Major Refurbishment—Nobel House Excellent Design 
			
			 2007-08 — — 
			 (1) Very Good achieved despite the building being a complex and high containment building (2) Very Good achieved in what is a grade 2 listed building.

Departmental Buildings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) new builds and  (b) major refurbishments for a cost in excess of £0.5 million were completed by his Department in  (i) 2005-06,  (ii) 2006-07 and  (iii) 2007-08.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department, excluding a number of its agencies (VMD, CSL, CEFAS) completed new builds and major refurbishments with a value exceeding £0.5 million as follows:
	
		
			   New build  Refurbishments 
			 2005-06 5 3 
			 2006-07 1 12 
			 2007-08 0 0

Departmental Conferences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) scheduled date and  (b) title was of each conference proposed to be hosted by his Department and its agencies which was cancelled before taking place in each of the last 10 years; and what costs were incurred in respect of each.

Jonathan R Shaw: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Consultants

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on consultancy fees in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 1 July 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to Figure 18, page 141 of the Departmental Report 2008 for DEFRA presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for DEFRA in May 2008. Figures for the financial year 2007-08 are being finalised and will be available in September 2008.

Departmental Official Cars

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which make and model of car he has chosen as his ministerial car to be provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Jonathan R Shaw: DEFRA's official ministerial cars are all hybrid, with two Toyota Prius cars (1.5 litre petrol/electric) and two Honda Civic Hybrid cars (1.4 litre). The Secretary of State's car is a Toyota Prius.
	The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) is responsible for providing ministerial cars in line with the Ministerial Code and the Prime Minister's guidance 'Travel by Ministers'.
	GCDA advises the Prime Minister on the suitability of cars for inclusion in his guidance, taking into account a number of criteria when assessing suitable cars including their environmental impact, running and maintenance costs and overall suitability as a ministerial car.
	Lord Rooker and Helen Ghosh have both given up their GDCA allocated cars, but occasionally use GDCA pool cars and green cars where necessary, and there is no viable public transport alternative.

Departmental Official Hospitality

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2007,  Official Report, column 34W, on departmental official hospitality, when he expects the list of hospitality received by senior civil servants in his Department in 2007 to be published.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster gave him on 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 885W.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows details of performance bonuses awarded to staff in DEFRA in each financial year since November 2004. Data prior to November 2004, are only available at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Period  Number of staff awarded bonuses  Proportion of workforce (Percentage)  Highest bonus paid (£) 
			 November 2004 - March 2005 (1)513 6.7 7,616 
			 April 2005 - March 2006 (2)3,535 44.9 (3)12,000 
			 April 2006 - March 2007 (2)2,239 37.3 15,147 
			 April 2007 - March 2008 (2)1.818 36.9 15,640 
			 (1) This figure includes in-year performance bonuses only, which are paid to staff at grade 6 and below. (2) These figures include annual performance bonuses paid to staff in the SCS and at grade 6 and below. They also include in-year performance bonuses paid to staff at grade 6 and below. (3) The figure quoted represents the highest bonus paid to a permanent member of staff. However, a higher bonus award of £34,040 was paid as an exceptional one-off circumstance, to a fixed-term appointee, as part of their contractual provisions. 
		
	
	The data cover annual performance bonuses paid to SCS and annual and in-year performance bonuses paid to staff in core-DEFRA and those Executive Agencies covered by the core-Department's terms and conditions (i.e. Animal Health, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Government Decontamination Service and Pesticides Safety Directorate (who merged with the HSE on 1 April 2008).
	Separate performance bonus arrangements operate for staff in the SCS and those at grade 6 and below.
	 For the SCS
	Non-consolidated cash payments, otherwise known as bonuses, are used to reward in-year performance in relation to agreed objectives, or short-term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Bonuses are paid addition to base pay increase and do not count towards pension.
	Bonuses are allocated by departments from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the SSRB recommendations. The intention is that the bonus decisions should be differentiated in order to recognise the most significant deliverers of in-year performance.
	The Department has limited discretion in the application of the policy, as the criteria for the operation of the arrangements are determined centrally by the Cabinet Office.
	 For staff at grade 6 and below
	The High Performance Bonus schemes introduced in April 2005, provide staff in core-DEFRA and those Agencies covered by the core-Departments pay arrangements (i.e. Animal Health, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Government Decontamination Service), with recognition and reward for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance that significantly exceeds normal expectations.
	The process should provide staff at all grades with an opportunity to earn a bonus, and ensure that achievements in operational, policy and corporate services areas are recognised as being of equal esteem.
	These are two types of award:
	In-year high performance bonuses paid to individuals or teams in recognition of one-off achievements during the year; and
	Annual high performance bonuses, which are paid to the top 10 per cent. of performers in each DG for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance sustained throughout the whole year.

Departmental Secondment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures his Department uses to ensure equal opportunities in relation to staff secondments to the Department.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department has clear guidance on the use of inward secondments, defined as a posting for an individual from a non-civil service organisation.
	Inward secondments can:
	allow the Department to seek specialist expertise which cannot be provided by existing staff and for which recruitment to permanent posts is not appropriate;
	enable the Department to offer to other organisations the broadening, personal development and skills enhancement we seek for our own staff;
	foster mutual understanding and co-operation and promote links between the Department and particular sectors or organisations.
	They are not a means of addressing the Department's long-term in-house staffing needs and do not restrict opportunities for permanent staff.
	For all secondment appointments below senior civil service which will exceed one year, modified rules of fair and open competition apply. The business unit must provide evidence that they have created as wide a field of candidates as they can in the circumstances; that they have selected the best candidate; and that the candidate's qualifications and experience are such as to qualify them to undertake the duties required. However, a single body may be approached where it is the only likely source of a particular expertise, where the secondment is intended to foster a particular relationship between the Department and an external organisation, or where it is part of a recognised programme.

Departmental Sick Leave

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days of sick leave were taken by his Department's employees in each year since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on sickness absence in the civil service is available at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp.
	Published data are available from the 2004 calendar year to the 2006-07 financial year. The number of working days lost due to sickness in DEFRA was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 56,000 
			 2005 59,826 
			 2006-07 48,026 
		
	
	Data on days lost to sickness before 2004 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of overseas visits by each Minister in his Department has been since 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: Since 1999, the Government have published the total cost of all overseas travel by Ministers and a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1112W. Details for the financial year 2007-08 will be published before the summer recess and will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
	Information in respect of overseas visits by all Ministers for the period 1997-99 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Wastes

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to reduce the volume of waste produced by it and sent to landfill in each of the last two years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs can confirm that between 2005-06 and 2006-07 the Department's waste arisings decreased by 8 per cent.
	DEFRA has taken steps to reduce its waste by ensuring that printers are automatically set to duplex and have the ability to print more than one page to a side. The Department has stopped providing printed copies of its weekly Office Notices, saving over two million sheets of paper, in its place the Office Notice is published electronically on the DEFRA intranet.
	DEFRA has also increased recycling by 8 per cent. between 2005-06 and 2006-07 resulting in less waste being sent to landfill.
	The increase in recycling can be attributed to staff awareness campaigns and improved site recycling facilities.
	At this time the Sustainable Development Commission have yet to verify Government data for 2007-08. Therefore we are unable to provide this information.

Fishing Vessels: Fuels

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance his Department is giving the commercial sea fishing industry to improve the fuel efficiency of its vessels.

Jonathan R Shaw: In 2005-06, DEFRA funded a £20,000 study by SEAFISH on how fishing vessels could reduce their fuel consumption. The results of that study are available to the industry, and advice on what vessel owners can do to improve efficiency is widely available from SEAFISH.
	£71 million of grants through the European Fisheries Fund will come on stream in autumn. A significant proportion of these funds will be targeted to support the industry in adapting to higher fuel prices, including through increasing fuel efficiency.

Food Supply

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 733W, on food supply, under what circumstances the Government would seek to access food stocks identified by his Department's database.

Jonathan R Shaw: The food supply chain is robust due to the high degree of substitutability of food stuffs and the range of options available when one element of the supply chain is disrupted. This flexibility arises from a combination of domestic production and the multiplicity of trading and transport options that exist.
	In the event of a disruption to the food supply, DEFRA would work closely with the food industry to deal with the situation. The information held in the database allows DEFRA to better represent the food industry in any discussions with other Government Departments during incidents which could impact on the industry. However, it is not possible to speculate in advance on the Government's future actions.

Food Supply

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 733W, on food supply, what stocks are held which are not part of the existing food distribution chain.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are no food stocks held in the UK outside the existing food distribution chain.

Geographical Information Systems

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation and handouts produced by his Department's representative at the conference on GIS in the Public Sector held in London on 14 May 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The presentation made by DEFRA at the GIS in the Public Sector conference on the 14 May was part of a joint presentation with the Local Government Association. A more up-to-date presentation from DEFRA—'Seeing the bigger picture: Mapping out a vision of INSPIRE'—was made at the European Commission's INSPIRE Conference held in Slovenia from 23 to 25 June. It is publicly available on the conference website at:
	http://www.ec-gis.org/Workshops/inspire_2008/presentations/06_02_watson.pdf.
	The vision for implementing INSPIRE is still in the process of being updated.

Hunting

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has made an assessment of the effects of the Hunting Act 2004 on  (a) rural employment,  (b) the rural economy and  (c) the numbers of (i) fox hounds and (ii) horses.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government have made no detailed assessment of the effect of the Hunting Act on rural employment, the rural economy or on the numbers of fox hounds and horses.
	The Government note, however, that there is no evidence that the adverse economic, social and welfare consequences, predicted by opponents of the Hunting Act during its passage, have materialised.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Minister of State plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 13 June 2008, about the dog rental company, FlexPetz.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 10 July 2008
	My noble Friend the Lord Rooker sent his reply to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 9 July.

Nature Conservation: Finance

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on wildlife management and conservation in each of the last five years, broken down by main budget heading.

Joan Ruddock: Expenditure on UK Biodiversity forms one of the suite of indicators which DEFRA publishes on behalf of the UK Biodiversity Partnership in 'Biodiversity Indicators in your pocket'. Available information based on that underpinning the indicator is provided in the following table. The figures represent programme spend only and do not capture staff costs in non-departmental public bodies funded by the Department through grant-in-aid. Staff in these organisations also contribute significantly to wildlife management and conservation through their various activities, including for example, provision of advice. Furthermore, a number of other programmes have also contributed approximately £10 million per annum to the total budget.
	DEFRA's expenditure on biodiversity has approximately doubled in real terms over the last five years. The majority of this comes from agri-environment expenditure. £3.9 billion of agri-environment funding has been secured for England for the period 2007-13, much of which will be targeted at biodiversity. Other contributions also arise from other organisations such as the Royal Botanical Gardens—Kew, who for example, will receive £17.6 million in grant-in-aid this year.
	
		
			  Public sector expenditure on biodiversity schemes 
			  current prices, £ million( 1) 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08( p)  2008-09 (budget)( 2) 
			  DEFRA   
			 Agri-Environment Schemes(3)   
			 ESA/CSS(4) 129.8 167.8 187.2 170.3 145.3 130.0 
			 Environmental Stewardship — — — 84.3 180.9 250.0 
			
			 Darwin Initiative(5) 4.0 5.0 7.0 7.7 9.4 4.8 
			
			 Environment Agency 4.0 6.1 10.8 11.9 7.6 (6)7.6 
			  of which:   
			 estimated expenditure in England(7) 3.4 5.2 9.2 10.1 6.5 (6)6.5 
			
			 Forestry Commission England 14.4 14.7 17.7 22.8 28.1 n/a 
			
			 Natural England(8) 57.2 55.5 57.3 54.1 51.7 (6)51.7 
			
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee(9) 1.2 1.4 1.8 1.8 2.1 (6)2.1 
			
			 DEFRA family total (programme/grant spending)(10) 210.0 249.6 280.2 351.2 423.9 466.6 
			 n/a = Data not yet available. (1) The estimates cover DEFRA family non-administration expenditure related to biodiversity in England and globally. (2) Where data are provided for 2007-08 and the 2008-09 budget was not available, the 2007-08 estimate has been carried forward. (3) This represents total scheme expenditure, of which a major share is judged to be spent on biodiversity schemes. (4) Environmentally sensitive areas and countryside stewardship schemes. (5) Darwin initiative budget has been reduced in 2008-09 to balance overspend in 2007-08. (6) Data are provisional or have been assumed to be carried forward. (7) Based on DEFRA share of grant-in-aid expenditure on environmental protection. (8) The Natural England contribution to JNCC has been excluded to avoid duplication. (9) Expenditure shown is based on the income contribution from DEFRA and Natural England as a proportion of total income. (10) See note 3. Note that Forestry Commission expenditure includes both grant aid to woodland owners and expenditure on the public forest estate.

Nature England: Environment Protection

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the administration of environmental stewardship schemes cost Natural England in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by scheme; and whether this cost is met from  (a) funding under the England Rural Development Programme and  (b) within his Department's Natural Environment budget

Jonathan R Shaw: The cost to Natural England of administering Environmental Stewardship is estimated to be £41.6 million per annum. This includes staff, overheads and IT.
	We do not record administration costs associated with different schemes separately. Our estimate is that administration costs associated with each scheme is as follows: Entry Level Stewardship/Organic Entry Level Stewardship (£9.6 million) and Higher Level Stewardship (£32.0 million).
	The cost of administering the schemes is not met from the £2.9 billion over the current seven-year period allocated to RDPE for making scheme payments to landmanagers. It comes from Natural England's grant in aid funding.

River Thames: Transport

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for promoting greater use of the River Thames for  (a) passenger and  (b) freight traffic; what estimate he has made of the amount of (i) passenger and (ii) freight traffic on the River Thames in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Environment Agency is working with Sea and Water, the Inland Waterways Advisory Council and the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities to further the potential for the growth of freight across their waterways.
	The Environment Agency promotes the River Thames as a leisure destination through a tourism marketing partnership under the River Thames brand. It promotes passenger boats as a leisure experience and an alternative form of transport through this partnership.
	The Environment Agency is the navigation authority for the non-tidal River Thames (source to Teddington) and registered the following number of passenger boats for use on the non-tidal Thames from 1990 to 2008.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1990 67 
			 1991 64 
			 1992 69 
			 1993 69 
			 1994 62 
			 1995 63 
			 1996 65 
			 1997 69 
			 1998 65 
			 1999 60 
			 2000 61 
			 2001 60 
			 2002 58 
			 2003 58 
			 2004 57 
			 2005 58 
			 2006 57 
			 2007 55 
			 2008 58 
		
	
	The Environment Agency started monitoring passenger boat movements through locks (traffic) in 2004. The figures are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 4,853 
			 2005 12,602 
			 2006 14,118 
			 2007 14,314 
		
	
	The Environment Agency does not specifically monitor freight traffic as this is currently negligible on the non-tidal Thames.

River Thames: Transport

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what money has been received in the last 10 years from the European Union for promoting greater use of the River Thames for  (a) passenger and  (b) freight traffic.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Environment Agency is the navigation authority for the non-tidal River Thames (source to Teddington). No money has been received in the last 10 years from the European Union for promoting greater use of the River Thames for passenger and freight traffic. The Thames Valley is not a priority area for European funding.

Shellfish

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  who has powers to close shellfish waters to fishing on grounds of pollution or toxicity levels;
	(2)  what steps his Department takes to prevent shellfish from  (a) British and  (b) other waters being marketed when affected by radioactivity or other pollution.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	Food business operators are responsible for placing safe food on the market.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the competent authority for food safety, and is responsible for designating and classifying shellfish beds and ensuring that these areas are monitored for microbiological contamination and the presence of marine biotoxins in accordance with the relevant food safety legislation. In England and Wales this monitoring is undertaken by local enforcement authorities. Delegated powers are conferred on local enforcement authorities to close shellfish beds when monitoring results exceed specified legal limits.
	The FSA also carries out a comprehensive monitoring programme around United Kingdom nuclear sites and further afield to ensure the safety of seafood from radioactive pollution. For shellfish from other waters, the port health authorities have the powers to sample shellfish (and other foods) for radioactive pollution and prohibit their placing on the market in the UK, if appropriate.
	Subject to ministerial approval, the FSA may also issue Emergency Closure Orders under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1995 to close shellfish beds due to toxicity or pollution levels.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Environment Protection

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the preservation of heathland on Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Joan Ruddock: Our policy for heathland on Sites of Special Scientific Interest is to avoid any loss of extent, to maintain the condition of those areas in favourable condition and to improve conditions in those areas that are currently unfavourable.
	We are on course to meet the PSA target of 95 per cent. of SSSIs in favourable or recovering condition by 2010. The current figure for heathland SSSIs is 79.2 per cent.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were  (a) issued and  (b) breached in Wales in each year since they were introduced.

Vernon Coaker: The number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued and breached in Wales (up to 31 December 2006) are given in the following tables. The first table shows the number of orders issued (by year and by area) and the second the number of orders breached in each year by area. It is of course possible that an order recorded as having been breached in, say, 2004 could have been issued in 2003, and therefore the two tables are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, by CJS area and year, April 1999 to December 2006 
			1999-2000  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  CJS area  Total issued  Apr 99-May 00  Jun-Dec 
			 Dyfed Powys 43 — — — — 12 8 
			 Gwent 121 — — 2 2 8 27 
			 North Wales 255 — 1 — 7 15 42 
			 South Wales 201 — 1 4 3 29 46 
			 
			 Total Wales 620 — 2 6 12 64 123 
		
	
	
		
			   2005  2006 
			  CJS area  Jan-Mar  Apr-Jun  Jul-Sep  Oct-Dec  Total  Jan-Mar  Apr-Jun  Jul-Sep  Oct-Dec  Total 
			 Dyfed Powys 1 2 5 7 15 6 1 — 1 8 
			 Gwent 7 14 7 5 33 15 9 10 15 49 
			 North Wales 23 31 29 20 103 25 17 20 25 87 
			 South Wales 15 15 18 16 64 19 16 10 9 54 
			
			 Total Wales 46 62 59 48 215 65 43 40 50 198 
			  Notes: 1. Previously issued data have been revised. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Prepared by OCJR 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: ASBOs proven in court to have been breached for the first time within the periods shown( 1)  by CJS area( 2)  from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2006 
			  CJS area  2000-02( 3)  2003  2004  200  2006  Total 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 5 5 6 10 26 
			 Gwent 3 2 16 24 17 62 
			 North Wales 3 7 12 50 51 123 
			 South Wales 4 11 12 29 30 86 
			
			 Total Wales 10 25 45 109 108 297 
			 (1) ASBOs may be breached more than once and in more than one year. In this table ASBOs are counted once only within the period when they were first breached. (2) ASBOs may be issued in one area and breached in another. Breaches are counted in this table by area of issue. (3) From 1 June 2000.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: OCJR Court Proceedings Database

Burglary: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries were reported in each police authority area in Wales in each year since 1997; and how many convictions for burglary were obtained in each authority area in each of those years.

Vernon Coaker: Statistics on the number of recorded offences of burglary in Wales for the years 1997 to 2006-07 are given in Tables 1-3.
	Statistics on the number of defendants found guilty at all courts in Wales for burglary for the years 1997 to 2006 are provided in Table 4. Information for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	The figures given in Table 4 relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Caution must be used when looking at recorded crime statistics and convictions statistics as these are from two different databases and recorded in quite different ways. Recorded crime data are provided on a financial year basis and count offences whereas court proceedings data are on a calendar year basis and count offenders. Therefore, these two separate data-sets are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1 Offences of burglary recorded by the police in Wales, 1997 
			  Police force area  Number of offences 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,590 
			 Gwent 9,154 
			 North Wales 7,554 
			 South Wales 27,147 
			 Wales 46,445 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 Offences of burglary recorded by the police in Wales, 1998-99 to 2001-02 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,615 2,072 1,489 2,122 
			 Gwent 8,416 7,656 6,899 6,169 
			 North Wales 7,226 6,892 7,197 7,368 
			 South Wales 23,684 20,144 16,765 16,549 
			 Wales 41,941 36,764 32,350 32,208 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 Offences of burglary recorded by the police in Wales, 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  Number of offences 
			  Police force area  2002-03  2003-4  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,104 2,703 2,875 2,240 2,232 
			 Gwent 7,586 7,541 6,520 5,999 5,740 
			 North Wales 8,534 7,301 5,008 4,471 4,565 
			 South Wales 18,615 17,127 14,873 13,608 14,237 
			 Wales 36,839 34,672 29,276 26,318 26,774 
			  Note: 1. The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for burglary by police force area, Wales 1997-2006( 1, 2) 
			  Number of defendants found guilty 
			  Police force area  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Dyfed-Powys 335 325 268 219 222 220 198 157 147 163 
			 Gwent 426 431 416 334 371 394 344 345 273 306 
			 North Wales 411 437 382 353 353 335 338 315 275 283 
			 South Wales 888 987 883 789 694 806 708 664 584 621 
			 Wales 2,060 2,180 1,949 1,695 1,640 1,755 1,588 1,481 1,279 1,373 
			  Notes: 1 These data are on the principal offence basis. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Court proceedings database—Criminal Justice Evidence and Analysis—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Skunk Cannabis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of trends in the average street price of skunk cannabis in the last two years.

Vernon Coaker: Street prices of drugs vary considerably and are dependent on a number of factors such as demand, availability and quality. In 2006, the average street price for one ounce of skunk cannabis was estimated at £118. In 2007, the price for one ounce of skunk cannabis ranged between £100 and £200, the average price being estimated at £136.

Skunk Cannabis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much skunk cannabis was seized in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally. Skunk cannabis is not separately identifiable in the Home Office's drug seizures collection.

Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) violent crime offences,  (b) car crime offences,  (c) robberies,  (d) burglaries,  (e) thefts and  (f) criminal damage offences there were per 1,000 head of population for each police area in England and Wales in 2007.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not currently available. Detailed recorded crime data for 2007-08 will be published in "Crime in England and Wales 2007/08" on 17 July 2008.

Crimes of Violence: Cambridgeshire

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes of violence against the person were recorded in  (a) Cambridgeshire Constabulary area and  (b) Cambridge Constabulary Central Division in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences of violence against the person recorded by the police in Cambridgeshire 
			  Number of offences 
			   Cambridgeshire police force area  Cambridgeshire central 
			 2002-03 12,574 3,521 
			 2003-04 13,663 3,876 
			 2004-05 13,358 3,638 
			 2005-06 10,158 2,892 
			 2006-07 10,421 2,896

Crimes of Violence: East of England

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes against the person were recorded per 1,000 population in each local authority area in the  (a) East of England and  (b) East Midlands region in each year since 2002; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 3 July 2008
	The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Recorded offences of violence against the person: Rate per 1,000 population in the East of England and East Midlands region 
			  Region and local authority area  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  East of England Region  
			 Babergh 7 9 8 9 9 
			 Basildon 17 18 16 13 14 
			 Bedford 16 16 19 16 16 
			 Braintree 12 13 12 12 11 
			 Breckland 8 10 11 11 11 
			 Brentwood 9 13 11 13 13 
			 Broadland 6 7 8 7 6 
			 Broxbourne 7 12 18 18 16 
			 Cambridge 24 25 24 17 18 
			 Castle Point 9 10 9 9 8 
			 Chelmsford 11 14 15 14 13 
			 Colchester 17 20 19 19 15 
			 Dacorum 6 10 15 14 16 
			 East Cambridgeshire 11 11 10 7 7 
			 East Hertfordshire 5 8 11 11 12 
			 Epping Forest 10 13 14 13 13 
			 Fenland 18 22 19 14 15 
			 Forest Heath 13 15 14 13 17 
			 Great Yarmouth 24 24 27 25 23 
			 Harlow 20 27 29 28 26 
			 Hertsmere 6 11 15 13 14 
			 Huntingdonshire 13 14 13 9 10 
			 Ipswich 19 22 27 25 25 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 12 12 14 13 12 
			 Luton 18 21 24 26 24 
			 Maldon 9 11 10 10 9 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 7 8 8 7 6 
			 Mid Suffolk 6 8 8 7 7 
			 North Hertfordshire 6 10 14 14 13 
			 North Norfolk 10 10 10 11 11 
			 Norwich 27 30 33 32 29 
			 Peterborough UA 29 32 33 26 25 
			 Rochford 8 10 9 8 8 
			 South Bedfordshire 14 15 16 14 13 
			 South Cambridgeshire 8 7 8 5 6 
			 Southend 19 20 21 19 19 
			 South Norfolk 8 8 10 9 9 
			 St Albans 7 11 13 12 13 
			 St. Edmundsbury 12 14 14 14 15 
			 Stevenage 12 16 23 26 26 
			 Suffolk Coastal 8 9 12 11 9 
			 Tendring 14 14 13 14 14 
			 Three Rivers 5 10 11 11 10 
			 Thurrock 17 21 21 18 17 
			 Uttlesford 8 10 8 8 8 
			 Watford 14 21 28 29 33 
			 Waveney 16 20 20 20 20 
			 Welwyn/Hatfield 9 15 19 16 16 
			  East Midlands Region  
			 Amber Valley 12 13 14 15 16 
			 Ashfield 13 14 15 17 17 
			 Bassetlaw 13 17 17 18 20 
			 Blaby 9 10 13 11 11 
			 Bolsover 13 16 17 15 18 
			 Boston 14 15 18 20 19 
			 Broxtowe 8 10 11 13 13 
			 Charnwood 12 15 19 19 19 
			 Chesterfield 18 21 21 21 24 
			 Corby 27 30 30 27 28 
			 Daventry 9 11 10 10 9 
			 Derby 28 28 26 23 20 
			 Derbyshire Dales 9 9 10 10 11 
			 East Lindsey 14 15 16 15 16 
			 East Northamptonshire 12 13 11 10 10 
			 Erewash 12 13 14 15 15 
			 Gedling 9 11 11 13 13 
			 Harborough 7 9 13 9 10 
			 High Peak 15 14 14 16 16 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 11 12 16 16 16 
			 Kettering 17 18 18 17 15 
			 Leicester 31 34 40 39 37 
			 Lincoln 31 32 33 33 32 
			 Mansfield 21 21 26 26 27 
			 Melton 12 12 13 14 13 
			 Newark and Sherwood 11 12 12 13 13 
			 Northampton 19 23 24 22 21 
			 North East Derbyshire 9 10 10 10 10 
			 North Kesteven 7 8 8 8 7 
			 North West Leicestershire 12 15 18 17 18 
			 Nottingham 28 32 33 35 35 
			 Oadby and Wigston 12 12 16 17 16 
			 Rushcliffe 6 8 8 10 8 
			 Rutland 8 7 9 9 8 
			 South Derbyshire 11 11 11 10 10 
			 South Holland 10 13 14 14 12 
			 South Kesteven 13 15 15 15 14 
			 South Northamptonshire 5 5 6 5 5 
			 Wellingborough 18 17 17 17 18 
			 West Lindsey 10 10 11 10 8

Domestic Violence

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken together with local authorities to encourage women to report domestic violence.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office has developed a co-ordinated community response to domestic violence, which has included:
	providing funding to local partnerships through the Government offices for the regions to support them in developing and rolling out awareness raising campaigns to encourage victims of domestic violence to report incidents.
	providing funding to the Local Government Association in December 2003 to run a three-year domestic violence project aimed at identifying and promoting good practice of councils and partner organisations in addressing domestic violence.
	developing local area agreement stretch targets for local partnerships, which included increasing the rate of reporting of domestic violence to various agencies.
	working with local partnerships through the Government offices for regions to launch the ENOUGH campaign in 2006 and 2007 which encouraged third party reporting of domestic violence incidents.
	developing and rolling out routine inquiry to all women attending antenatal clinics and encouraging similar responses for all social and health care agencies to identify victims of domestic violence.

Drugs: Burma

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the extent of illicit trafficking of opium across Burma's borders into neighbouring countries; and what proposals the Government has put forward to reduce the trade.

Vernon Coaker: The most recent assessment was conducted in 2007 and drew on information from the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime's World Drugs Report 2006. This noted that opium and heroin from Laos and Burma is trafficked to neighbouring South East Asia countries (notably China) and to the Oceania region (mainly Australia). The main focus of the United Kingdom Government's drugs strategy is on drugs trafficked to this country and there was no indication that any of the traffic out of Burma is destined for the United Kingdom. The current stance of the Burmese Government makes it difficult for any non-Burmese national and international agency to work in that country.

Female Genital Mutilation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of female genital mutilation have been referred to the police since 2003.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office collects recorded crime data for offences committed under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003. However, these offences are recorded under the offence classification of 'Less serious wounding' and cannot be separately identified from other offences within that offence classification.

Fraud: Crime Prevention

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent combating fraud is a national policing priority; and whether she plans to alter the level of national priority currently accorded to combating fraud.

Vernon Coaker: The Government take all forms of fraud seriously which is why they have allocated £29 million over the next three years to implement the recommendations of the fraud review. Some of this funding will be directed towards enhancing the police response to fraud by giving the City of London police a national lead role in fraud investigation. The force already receives additional Government and Corporation of London funding to perform a lead force role across the South East and this further funding will enable the force to expand its Economic Crime Department and take on the investigation of serious and complex frauds across the country. The force will also establish a centre of excellence which will provide best practice advice to other forces around the country.
	The Home Secretary sets strategic priorities for the police service each year to inform police planning. Last year, these were included in the National Community Safety Plan. Combating fraud is one aspect of the priority on serious and organised crime. We will keep this under review.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the victims of trafficking found during Operation Pentameter 2 were found outside city centres.

Vernon Coaker: Information on location of victims was not collected under Operation Pentameter 2 in a way that defined city centres as geographically separate from the cities themselves.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims of human trafficking were found in  (a) residential properties and  (b) massage parlours and saunas raided under Operation Pentameter 2.

Vernon Coaker: A total of 167 victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation were recovered under Operation Pentameter 2 from a number of properties including residences and massage parlours.
	The precise numbers found in each type of property is not held centrally.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the money recovered as a result of Operation Pentameter 2 has gone to  (a) victims in compensation and  (b) the Exchequer; and what currencies the money recovered was in.

Vernon Coaker: All receipts from recovered assets are transferred to the Treasury with 50 per cent. returned to the investigative, prosecution and enforcement bodies for re-investment in further asset recovery activity. The remaining 50 per cent. is received by the Home Office and supports a range of business, including community crime reduction projects.
	There are various avenues for victims of crime to claim compensation. Victims of violent crime can apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, which has granted awards for victims of human trafficking. Additionally, prosecutors can request a compensation order following a conviction and the Crown Prosecution Service has issued guidance highlighting the application of this in human trafficking cases. It is also open to a victim to pursue compensation directly through the civil courts.
	The vast majority of cash seized under Operation Pentameter 2 was in sterling with a small amount in euros.

Human Trafficking

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she has taken to stop human trafficking; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 14 July 2008
	 On 2 July we published the update on the United Kingdom Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking and on the same day announced the outcomes of Operation Pentameter 2.
	The original action plan was published in March 2007. It outlines the Government's end to end strategy to tackle human trafficking and to identify and protect victims. The update reports on progress since then and sets out new actions—85 in total, up from 62 actions originally.
	Operation Pentameter 2 was a major success. It resulted in the arrest of 528 people and the recovery of the 167 victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation. A total of 15 victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation were recovered in Scotland.
	We remain committed to tackling this horrendous crime and continue to make progress towards our overall aim of ensuring the UK becomes a hostile environment for the traffickers. This will be further reinforced by the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings before the end of 2008.

Human Trafficking: Arrests

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people arrested under Operation Pentameter 2 have been  (a) charged and  (b) convicted of human trafficking offences.

Vernon Coaker: As at May 2008 a total of 71 people arrested under Operation Pentameter 2 had been charged with offences under the dedicated human trafficking legislation. These cases are currently at different stages of the criminal justice process.

Human Trafficking: Arrests

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were arrested during Operation Pentameter 2.

Vernon Coaker: 528.

Human Trafficking: Children

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the children found as a result of Operation Pentameter 2 have  (a) been provided with safe house accommodation and  (b) gone missing since being rescued.

Vernon Coaker: It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to assess the needs of all separated children at risk of harm and in need of accommodation. It is their responsibility to provide suitable accommodation, following this assessment, ensuring that they are safeguarded and their welfare promoted under the provisions of the Children Act 1989.
	We understand from the police that Operation Pentameter 2 identified 16 children, 13 of whom had been trafficked for sexual exploitation and three for forced labour.
	All were appropriately referred to local authorities. We understand from the police that one has absconded.

Human Trafficking: Repatriation

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the adult victims of trafficking found under Operation Pentameter 2 have been returned to their country of origin.

Vernon Coaker: Under Pentameter 2, forty-eight individuals identified as victims of trafficking by the police have returned to their country of origin.

Robbery: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of  (a) robbery and  (b) drug offences there were in each police authority area in Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The available information relates to the number of recorded robbery and drug offences and is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1 Offences of robbery recorded by the police in Wales, 1997 
			   Number of offences 
			 Dyfed-Powys 34 
			 Gwent 156 
			 North Wales 112 
			 South Wales 509 
			 Wales 811 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 Offences of robbery recorded by the police in Wales, 1998-99—2001-02 
			  Number of offences 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Dyfed-Powys 42 28 20 26 
			 Gwent 173 216 242 215 
			 North Wales 127 146 158 194 
			 South Wales 511 519 460 595 
			 Wales 853 909 880 1,030 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 Offences of robbery recorded by the police in Wales, 2002-03—2006-07 
			  Number of offences 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Dyfed-Powys 40 54 41 40 47 
			 Gwent 329 274 351 316 282 
			 North Wales 224 201 149 150 134 
			 South Wales 784 751 543 631 891 
			 Wales 1,377 1,280 1,084 1,137 1,354 
			 Note: 1. The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4 Drug offences recorded by the police in Wales, 1997( 1) 
			   Number of offences 
			 Dyfed-Powys 374 
			 Gwent 389 
			 North Wales 238 
			 South Wales 525 
			 Wales 1,526 
			 (1). Figures for 1997 are for drug trafficking only. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5 Drug offences recorded by the police in Wales, 1998-99—2001-02 
			  Number of offences 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,483 2,030 1,273 2,407 
			 Gwent 2,447 2,214 2,196 1,729 
			 North Wales 1,885 1,586 1,421 1,382 
			 South Wales 2,934 2,690 3,039 3,907 
			 Wales 9,749 8,520 7,929 9,425 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6 Drug offences recorded by the police in Wales, 2002-03—2006-07 
			  Number of offences 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,978 2,420 2,327 2,495 2,484 
			 Gwent 1,585 1,422 1,332 1,412 1,888 
			 North Wales 1,830 1,830 1,833 2,108 2,105 
			 South Wales 3,872 3,837 3,705 3,483 4,051 
			 Wales 10,265 9,509 9,197 9,498 10,528 
			  Note: 1. The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Squatting

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been issued to the police by her Department on the treatment of squatters.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office has not issued any guidance to the police on the treatment of squatters.

Stalking

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reviews of the handling of stalker cases involving  (a) children and  (b) adults being stalked are under way; when the reviews will be completed; and what guidance her Department has issued to police authorities on the need to review cases involving stalkers.

Vernon Coaker: No specific reviews of the handling of cases involving children and adults being stalked have been commissioned by the Department.
	The Government, however, are committed to tackling the incidence of stalking and harassment. The Home Office currently sits on the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Stalking and Harassment Working Group and has been working closely with them to develop a national risk identification toolkit to ensure that officers are able to apply risk assessments in all cases of stalking and harassment, allowing them to better predict levels of risk to victims.
	Revised guidance outlining how police officers should investigate and deal with cases of harassment will be launched by ACPO in the autumn.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Development: Wales

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she had with her counterparts in the Welsh Assembly Government on initiatives announced in the White Paper, 'Communities in control', Cm 7427, prior to its finalisation for publication.

Parmjit Dhanda: Chapter 1 of 'Communities in control: real people, real power' explains that the policies in the White Paper largely cover England only (paragraph 1.57). We will engage with all devolved administrations on implementation, issue by issue.

Departmental Car Allowances

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mileage allowance is provided to each category of entitled worker by  (a) her Department and  (b) local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Motor mileage allowance may be claimed for the purpose of official travel by all Communities and Local Government staff. For journeys where staff could reasonably be expected to use public transport then an equivalent mileage rate is paid. A higher, standard mileage rate may be claimed where it is not practical to use public transport. The allowance rates are currently:
	 Standard mileage rate
	Higher (up to 10,000 miles): 40p per mile;
	Lower (over 10,000 miles): 25p per mile.
	 Public transport rate
	All mileage: 25p per mile.
	Details of motor mileage allowances provided by local authorities are not held centrally.

Departmental Film

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 263-4W, on departmental film, if she will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the film about the work of the Department and  (b) the PowerPoint presentation, "One year on (Celebrating success and looking to the future)".

Parmjit Dhanda: I have placed a copy of the two films in the Library.

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what IT contracts her Departments and its agencies have entered into in the last two years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has awarded the following contracts for IT in the last two financial years. Please note that this list is not exhaustive; it does not, for instance, cover contracts awarded for under £20,000. Details of all IT contracts are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Local Government Statistics—Data Upload to website
	IT Outsourcing Project (ITSOP) Business Case Mgr Support
	Floor Targets Interactive—User Needs Survey
	Thames Gateway—Support for Project Mgt System
	Planning Portal—Application Form Project
	Home Information Pack Programme (HIP)—Home Condition Report Register—Database and Portal
	XML Schemas development
	Transactional ERDF and State aid project (TESA)—Major Variation to Systems Integrator Contract
	Planning Portal—Building control Content Integration
	Revenue Support Grant—Future Payment Platform—Business Analyst
	HIP Programme—HCR Delivery Manager
	ITSOP Decoupling
	Maps on Tap (MOT)—Implementation Review
	Fire incident recording system (FIRS)—Develop call logging software for Helpdesk
	ITSOP—IT Operations Study
	Planning Portal—Services Product Plans
	Planning Portal—Project Manager
	HIP—HCR Register—Senior Requirements Analyst
	BMESpark Website Extension
	Communities' ICT Provision—Service Level Manager—Contract A
	Communities' ICT Provision Service Level Manager—Contract B
	Training for the Fire Service Emergency Cover (FSEC) Toolkit
	(Grants Payments System) LOGASNet Migration software licence
	Homes Employment and Mobility Service Project (HEMS) Website Testing
	Planning Portal Contract—Fixed Price Extension
	RPD National Capability Survey (NCS) Geo-database project
	Database & Assoc Applications Technical Manager
	ITSOP Internet Circuit Bardon Voice ISDN 30 for Eland House
	Thames Gateway—PMS Project Leader
	TESA Website
	Planning Portal—1APP—Technical support
	LOGASNet—Major enhancement contract
	ITSOP Test Assurance Manager
	Floor Targets Interactive (FTI) Business Case
	TESA Process Consultant
	Web Hosting and Internet Access
	Planning Portal—NAPCOL Hosting Agreement
	ITSOP—Business Case Support
	Government Connect (GC)—Technical Advisers
	FIRE CONTROL—MIS Solution
	ITSOP—Support for MAN De-coupling
	FTI—Re-development
	Communities' ICT Provision—Technical Architect
	Planning Portal—Planning Apps Database feasibility study
	ITSOP Programme Coordinator
	Planning Portal—Forms Team Leader
	ITSOP ISDN2e at Temple Quay, Bristol—backup for MPLS
	ITSOP Test Assurance Manager
	Open Space Works—Circuits
	Places/State of the Cities Database Support and Mtce
	Communities' ICT Provision Service Level Manager
	MOT—Implementation Review—Primary Recommendation
	Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPI)—Data Upload to BVPI Website
	ITSOP Deputy PM
	Tenancy Deposit Scheme—Systems Testing Role A
	Tenancy Deposit Scheme—Systems Testing Role B
	Planning Portal—Hosting Maintenance and support Services Extension
	Website Rationalisation Project (WEBRAP)—Additional Project Management resource
	System and collection of operational fire statistics
	Fixed 8Meg Link to Communities' staff in Titchfield NHPAU
	Planning Portal—e-Consultation Business Case Developer
	Planning Portal—LPA Monitoring Assignment
	Planning Portal—Technical Form Support (Product and Maintenance)
	Planning Portal—Datasets Consultant
	Planning Portal Planning 360
	Planning Portal—Business Case Development for e-Consultation programme
	ICTD Service Level Manager
	RSG Security Assurance and PEN Testing of Logasnet
	ITSOP Performance Review
	ITSOP Performance Review
	Planning Portal—XML Development expert
	Supporting People—Project Resource Agreement
	Supporting People—Project Resource Agreement
	Preventing Extremism Unit Stakeholder Database Requirements analyst
	Corporate IT Support Manager
	Thames Gateway Delivery Unit (TGDU) Data Analyst Role
	TGDU—Support for PMS
	Communities' LINK Upgrade—Project manager
	Thames Gateway Project Manager
	CLASS Support Contract
	GIS—DSI Greenspace Phase 2
	Communities' LINK IT Upgrade—Project Assurance Manager
	Deprivation Index Mapping Tool
	Places Database—Interim 1 Year SLA for support and maintenance
	TGDU Data Analyst
	TGDU Programme Systems Executive
	PP eConsultation Development Project Manager
	Planning Portal Adobe Forms Development
	Data Interchange Hub
	GIS Training
	National Register of Social Housing—Database Programmer
	FIRS—Tech QA—XML Schema—Renewal
	Data Interchange Hub—Project Manager
	TESA Website—Modifications
	Planning Portal eConsultation—Tech support
	Planning Portal—Adobe Forms Development for 1-APP
	Planning Portal—Planning 360—Logical Design Requirement
	DIH—Project Administrator
	DSI Intelligent Address Matching
	Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) Technical Support
	Corporate IT Provision—Strategic IT Support
	IT Outsourcing
	CLG Web Hosting
	CLG Web Rationalisation
	National Resilience Extranet.
	The Department agencies have reported the following:
	(a) Fire Service College has only had the following IT contract entered into during the last two years in December 2007 for a Managed Learning System infrastructure and support services.
	(b) Ordnance Survey has let the following contracts:
	Imagery Web Hosting Services
	Customer facing web-based Map Services
	Oracle Professional Services framework
	GIS Development Project
	Electronic Document Record Management solution
	'Outdoor Exploration' web-based portal
	Master Vendor Agency for IT Contractor Resource.
	However details of all their IT contracts could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	(c) Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has let one contract—Meeting Matrix—which is for the purchase and installation of room diagramming and imaging software to facilitate the planning of conference and exhibition events.
	(d) Planning Inspectorate awarded the following IT contracts the last two financial years 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2008 (PQ 4317):
	MS enterprise agreement
	ISS Information Service
	PCS Cardiff WAN Upgrade
	Electronic Business Model
	Programme Manager Software Tool
	IT Security
	GTN Contract
	Collaborative Document Working and Consultation Software/System for RSS
	Technology Refreshment Laptops
	Information Back-up Review
	Technology Refreshment Desktop PCs.

Departmental ICT

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of her Department's staff have access to the Department's IT infrastructure at home.

Parmjit Dhanda: Communities and Local Government have 891 staff who have full remote access to the IT infrastructure. Some of these staff will use these devices from home and others will use them while on the move, or when working at other locations.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the change in the number of employees in her Department and its agencies has been since July 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: The following table shows the change in the number of employees in the Department for Communities and Local Government since July 2006:
	
		
			   Number of employees 
			   July 2006  July 2007  July 2008 
			 Central CLG 2,283 2,291 2,176 
			 
			  Agencies:
			 Fire Service College 215 213 205 
			 Planning Inspectorate 804 855 859 
			 QEII Centre 52 51 51 
			 Total for agencies 1,071 1,119 1,115 
			 
			 Overall total 3,354 3,410 3,291

Departmental Records: Lost Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department's lost laptop held in relation to the Planning Bill.

Parmjit Dhanda: A desk-top computer was stolen from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's constituency office. The matter is now subject to a police investigation.

Departmental Responsibilities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many reviews of regulation her Department and its agencies has conducted or commenced since July 2007; and in which areas.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since July 2007 the Department has reviewed 20 specific pieces of regulations covering Building Regulations, Fire, Housing, Local Government and Planning. We are also putting in place arrangements for the timely review of our Bills and Acts in line with "Post Legislative Scrutiny: the Government's Approach" published in May 2008. The new impact assessment process introduced in May 2007, also places increased emphasis on the post-implementation review of our policies.

Departmental Sick Leave

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many working days have been lost due to sickness among employees for which her Department and its predecessor were responsible for each year since 1997.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the Cabinet Office series of reports "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service" available in the House of Commons Library. However, there are no reported figures for 1997 and 1998.

Departmental Wastes

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to reduce the volume of waste produced by it and sent to landfill in each of the last two years.

Parmjit Dhanda: Communities and Local Government has taken numerous steps over the last two years to reduce its volume of general waste produced and sent for incineration. The measures taken have included:
	Reducing the number of personal general waste bins, to encourage staff to produce less waste and to dispose of recyclable materials in the appropriate facilities provided.
	In headquarter buildings, plastic bottle recycling has been replaced by a system of 'total plastics recycling' enabling all common plastic polymers to be recycled, not just those used for bottles.
	Introducing mobile phone and waste electronic and electrical equipment recycling systems, in addition to the standard recycling provisions such as paper, cardboard, glass and cans.
	Organic waste recycling was also extended, enabling staff to compost waste in tea points of HQ buildings. This facility is also provided in kitchens and restaurant areas.
	The number of printers has also been reduced to encourage less printing.
	Communications campaigns are run at various intervals to remind staff to recycle; this has included focusing on avoiding the use of single use plastic bags and holding a 'Sustainability Month' during which staff were reminded to make full use of recycling facilities provided.
	An environmental champions network has been established comprising staff volunteers who encourage their colleagues to foster more sustainable practices in the office, such as reducing waste production and recycling more.
	Plastic food containers in staff restaurants have been replaced with biodegradable alternatives.
	Major office furniture replacement projects have included ensuring redundant office furniture is disposed of by Green Works. Green Works is a not for profit social enterprise which redirects second hand furniture to third sector organisations such as schools and charities. The replacement office furniture has been selected ensuring a high level of reuse and recyclability to enable future general waste levels to be minimised.
	Communities also relaunched its reusable water bottling scheme in its main HQ building. Instead of buying mineral water in glass bottles, the Department bottles filtered tap water on site in reusable glass bottles. This not only minimises waste but, similar to many sustainable waste solutions, reduces carbon dioxide emissions associated with waste treatment and transportation.
	The Department will continue to identify further waste solutions to improve its future performance.

Digital Broadcasting

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessments her Department has made of the performance of the digital television initiatives in Kirklees, Hull and Glasgow referred to in the minutes of the Emerging Technologies Group meeting on 27 February.

Iain Wright: The Kirklees digital TV initiative was developed as part of the local e-government programme. In 2006, at the end of the programme, an assessment of the business case was undertaken. The business case continues to be revised annually on the basis of the experience of the 70+ local authorities who continue to use the service, now branded 'DigiTV'. The latest published business case can be found online at:
	http://www.digitv.gov.uk/site/content/view/l10/64/
	Independent external evaluations of the programme in Kingston upon Hull are currently being undertaken both by the University of Hull and by York St John. These will report later in the year.
	The Department has no responsibility for the digital television initiative being developed in Glasgow.

Digital Switchover Help Scheme

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department has provided for the digital television initiatives in Kirklees, Hull and Glasgow referred to in the minutes of the Emerging Technologies Group meeting of 27 February 2008.

Iain Wright: In total, £3,768,000 of funding was provided to develop the Kirklees initiative, which formed part of the local e-government programme. This initiative is now entirely self-sustaining and no longer relies on funding from central Government.
	The Kingston upon Hull project has been allocated £30,000 from the overall award which was made to the runners-up in the Department's 2007 Digital Challenge competition to enable them to develop their key projects.
	CLG has no responsibility for the Glasgow digital television initiative.

European Union Solidarity Fund

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the amount that the UK will receive from the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist in recovery from floods in 2007.

Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.
	The EU budgetary authority have approved €162.4 million in EUSF assistance for the UK in relation to the summer 2007 flooding. The sterling value of this grant will be determined at the time the funds are made available.

Fire Services: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost, including VAT, has been of consultants' fees for the FiReControl project, broken down by consultancy; and which of these costs will be included in the business case.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 8 July 2008
	Total project spend on consultants to the end of June 2008 was £38.6 million inclusive of VAT. The following table gives a breakdown by company:
	
		
			   £ 
			  Company name  Costs to date 
			 Atkins Transport Planning 1,195,682 
			 Cornwell Management Consultants Plc 1,194,949 
			 Denton Wilde Sapte 2,145,670 
			 Donaldsons 269,652 
			 Electronic Commerce Associates Ltd 755,667 
			 Hyder Consulting (UK) Ltd 100,320 
			 Insight Management and Systems Consultants 148,462 
			 PA Consulting Services Limited 25,371,774 
			 PKF 889,516 
			 Systeme Evolutif Ltd 42,158 
			 Turner and Townsend 3,964,407 
			 Other 2,493,255 
			   
			 Total 38,571,512 
		
	
	These costs were included in the business case version one published in June 2007 and will be updated in part two of the business case to be published later in the summer. A copy of the full business case will be placed in the Library.

Fire Services: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's estimate for planning purposes of the convergence costs associated with FiReControl was in each fire  (a) authority and  (b) region; and whether these costs will be included in the FiReControl business case. [R]

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 8 July 2008
	 Regional and Fire and Rescue Authority project costs including the costs of convergence activities are met through New Burdens funding. A detailed breakdown of payments and allocations to Regions and Fire and Rescue Authorities can be found in Implementation Funding Circulars 63/2005, 44/2006, 76/2006 and 5/2008.

Fire Services: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) staffing costs, including civil servants, interim and agency staff,  (b) secondment costs and  (c) travel costs of the national FiReControl project team have been; and whether these costs are included in the business case. [R]

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 8 July 2008
	 The following table identifies the costs incurred on FiReControl to the end of June 2008.
	
		
			  Resource type  Total (£) 
			 T and S 1,176,773 
			 Pay, civil servants 4,824,300 
			 Interim (including fixed term contractors and agency staff) 11,692,568 
			 Secondee 4,328,853 
			 Total 22,022,494 
		
	
	These costs were included in the Business Case version 1 published in June 2007 and will be updated in part 2 of the Business Case to be published later in the summer. A copy of the full Business Case will be placed in the Library.

Fire Services: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) staffing costs, including civil servants, interim and agency staff,  (b) secondment costs and  (c) travel costs of the regional FiReControl project teams have been; and whether these costs are included in the business case. [R]

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 8 July 2008
	 Regional and Fire and Rescue Authority project costs including those associated with staffing, secondment and travel are met as part of the New Burdens funding. A detailed breakdown of payments and allocations to Regions and Fire and Rescue Authorities can be found in Implementation Funding Circulars 63/2005, 44/2006, 76/2006 and 5/2008. CLG does not keep records of this expenditure.

Fire Services: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her estimate is of the cost, including VAT, of all consultants' fees for the FiReControl project for the duration of the project.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 8 July 2008
	To the end of June 2008 the cost of consultancy services for the FiReControl project totalled £38.6 million (inclusive of VAT). Communities and Local Government estimates that future costs will be £16.9 million (inclusive of VAT).

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of each fire and rescue service regional management board was in financial year  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06,  (c) 2006-07 and  (d) 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The running costs of each Regional Management Board (RMB) are financed by the constituent Fire and Rescue Authorities from the FRAs' allocations. How this is administered is a matter for each RMB. Central Government do not hold information about the cost of each RMB in each financial year.

Fish

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much fish was procured by her Department and at what cost in each of the last five years, broken down by species; and what amount and value of such fish met the Marine Stewardship Council standard in each such year, broken down by species.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fraud

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  on how many occasions staff employed by her Department and its agencies defrauded her Department in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the losses to her Department from fraud committed by staff of her Department and its agencies in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many staff in her Department and its agencies were prosecuted for  (a) attempting to defraud and  (b) defrauding her Department in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how many staff of her Department and its agencies were responsible for each instance of fraud or attempted fraud in her Department and its agencies in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since 2003 departmental records show that there have been two members of staff who have committed fraud totalling £871,818.73. Both were successfully prosecuted and action was taken to recover the monies. These two frauds consisted of 28 separate transactions. In addition there was one separate instance of attempted fraud of a value of £700. This attempted fraud was carried out by one of the perpetrators of the aforementioned frauds, but was prevented by the controls put in place during the fraud investigation.
	Departmental records do not go back beyond 2003.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2008,  Official Report, column 443W, on home information packs, whether informal minutes of the subsequent meetings were taken by civil servants from her Department.

Caroline Flint: No minutes were taken of the Stakeholder Panel meetings.

Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of housing stock units were  (a) owner-occupied,  (b) privately rented and  (c) socially rented in (i) England, (ii) each English region and (iii) each London local authority in (A) 1980, (B) 1990, (C) 2000 and (D) 2007;
	(2)  if she will rank each English local authority by the percentage change in the number of properties in the social rented sector in its area since 1980.

Iain Wright: The number of households by housing tenure are available from the 1981, 1991 and 2001 censuses. Estimates for 2007 are derived from the labour force survey, but only for England and the regions. Information on housing stock for 2007 is also available from the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), collected from local authorities. This information does not separately identify privately rented and owner occupied dwellings—however it does provide estimates for the London boroughs.
	Data on the change in social housing stock between 1980 and 2007 are from the Housing Investment Programme (1980) and the HSSA (2007). Local authorities that did not provide data or are in areas where there was local government reorganisation over this period have been excluded.
	Tables showing (1) census-based household figures for 1981, 1991, 2001 and labour force survey estimates for 2007; (2) housing stock figures by tenure for England, the regions and London boroughs as at 1 April 2007; and (3) social housing stock by local authority: England 1980 and 2007 have been deposited in the Library.

Housing: Construction

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what target has been set for house building in  (a) North Northamptonshire and  (b) England in the period to 2021; and what assessment she has made of progress towards these targets.

Iain Wright: Housing targets below national level are not set directly by Government, but are set out in regional spatial strategies and local development frameworks which are developed through the regional and local planning processes. The 2007 Green Paper "Homes for the Future: more affordable, more sustainable" (Cm7191), copies of which are in the Library, sets out the Government's long-term objectives in terms of housing supply.

Housing: Construction

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent assessment is of the effect of current conditions in the housing market on the likelihood of her Department meeting its 2020 house-building targets.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Julia Goldsworthy) on 12 June 2008,  Official Report, column 497W.

Housing: Construction

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will issue guidance to local authorities on the provision of short-term supply of land within their control for housing in the event of numbers of new housing starts falling; and whether the number of new housing starts in an area should be a material consideration in planning appeals relating to possible sites for new houses.

Iain Wright: Planning Policy Statement 3 Housing (PPS3) requires local planning authorities to identify sufficient specific, deliverable sites to deliver housing in the first five years, as part of a 15-year plan period horizon. The policy advises how local planning authorities need to regularly monitor housing performance against trajectory and that in circumstances where market conditions have changed, local authorities may find it necessary to reassess need and demand, considering a review of approach across the whole market area. PPS3, including those policies relating to whether the local authority has an up to date five year supply of deliverable sites, is capable of being taken into account by local planning authorities, the Planning Inspectorate Agency or other relevant decision maker, in determining planning applications.

Housing: Heating

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of electrically heated new homes built in the last five years that have compatible gas grid connections available;
	(2)  how many new homes which were  (a) electrically heated and  (b) gas heated were built in 2007-08.

Iain Wright: The Department's statistics for new home completions do not include details of the form of heating used.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has not made estimates of the number of electrically heated new homes built in the last five years that have compatible gas grid connections available.
	However, based on statistics for house completions in 2004, the regulatory impact assessment supporting the 2006 amendment to part L of the building regulations estimated that electricity was used for heating in 90 per cent. of flats, but only 1 per cent. of houses. Flats made up 43 per cent. of new build homes.

Housing: Heating

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to amend the building regulations to require the installation of energy efficient domestic heating pumps; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: There are no plans to amend the building regulations to require the installation of particular heating systems. However, as announced in July 2007, it is proposed that the energy performance standards of the building regulations will be progressively improved in 2010, 2013 and 2016 to ensure all new homes are zero carbon by 2016. The installation of energy efficient technologies will help to meet these higher standards.

Housing: Standards

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Homes and Communities Agency promotes the application of lifetime homes standards in new build homes.

Caroline Flint: As stated in the National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society, in the first instance Lifetime Homes Standards will be a mandatory element in the Code for Sustainable Homes at level 6 from 2008, at level 4 from 2010 and level 3 from 2013. This will have the effect of ensuring that all public sector funded housing is built to Lifetime Homes Standards from 2011. We are currently proposing amendments to the Housing and Regeneration Bill to make explicit reference to the needs of both elderly and disabled persons.
	We will expect the Home and Communities Agency (HCA) to promote well designed quality homes and places by using industry benchmarks in conjunction with recognised public sector standards. The standards adopted will include social, economic, environmental and physical measures of design and performance. They will apply equally to the private and public sector activity in which the HCA engages, covering regeneration and housing, existing places and new places. We also expect the HCA to consult widely about their proposed approach to quality before adopting specific measures.

Local Government Ombudsman: Freedom of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward legislative proposals to remove exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act 2000 of the Local Government Ombudsman under Sections 32 and 44 of the Local Government Act 1974; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: There are no plans to remove the exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act that currently apply to the Local Government Ombudsman. The removal of such exemptions could deter people suffering injustice due to a council's maladministration from raising the matter with the ombudsman and hence obtaining redress.
	It is the policy of the Local Government Ombudsman to operate as openly as possible without putting at risk its investigations and the service provides for the public.

Ordnance Survey: Telephone Services

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what income her Department received from the Ordnance Survey 0845 number in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2005-06.

Iain Wright: Neither the Department nor Ordnance Survey has received income from Ordnance Survey's 0845 numbers in any of the years in question.

Planning Permission: National Parks

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will put in place measures to ensure that planning applications relating to areas within National Parks are dealt with expeditiously.

Iain Wright: National Parks are subject to the same national targets for dealing with planning applications as all other local planning authorities which are that 60 per cent. of major applications (10 houses or more) should be dealt with within 13 weeks, that 65 per cent. of minor applications and 80 per cent. of all other applications should be dealt with within eight weeks.

Planning Permission: Rural Areas

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the implications of proposed changes in planning regulations of  (a) re-using under used or disused property in rural areas,  (b) developing rural business centres and  (c) new-build for employment purposes in the countryside.

Iain Wright: The Government published draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 4: 'Planning for Sustainable Economic Development' for consultation in December 2007. The draft PPS asks regional planning bodies and local planning authorities to plan positively and proactively to encourage economic development, in line with the principles of sustainable development.
	The draft PPS asks local authorities to encourage new uses for vacant or derelict buildings, including historic buildings in urban and rural areas and is clear that local authorities should support small scale economic development in rural villages, whether it be rural business centres or dedicated new-build, where it provides the most sustainable option.
	The Department has received over 300 responses to the consultation and is currently considering these. We also expect to receive shortly the report of the Taylor review into the issues facing rural areas in terms of housing and the economy. The hon. Member for Truro looked at these and other issues, and we will take account of his recommendations as we finalise our policies for sustainable economic development.

Planning Permission: Rural Areas

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to reduce the average time taken to grant planning permission for employment purposes in rural areas.

Iain Wright: All local planning authorities, including those in rural areas, have targets within which to determine planning applications (60 per cent. within 13 weeks for major applications, 65 per cent. and 80 per cent. within eight weeks for minors and others). Authorities have been steadily improving their performance to meet these targets; recent data show that 84 per cent. of authorities met all three key performance targets over the year April 2007 to March 2008.

Prisons: Planning Permission

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what role the Secretary of State plays in considering planning applications from Crown development for Titan prisons;
	(2)  who will be responsible for considering planning applications made in respect of Titan prisons.

Iain Wright: Planning applications for Titan prisons would be considered under the Town and County Planning legislation and normally be determined by the local planning authority. It is possible that such an application could be called in by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for her own decision, or, if refused by the local planning authority, any appeal could be recovered for determination by the Secretary of State.
	If the Ministry of Justice concluded, on the basis of pre-application discussions, that the relevant local planning authority would be likely to refuse planning permission and provided that he can certify that the scheme is of national importance and required urgently, the Secretary of State for Justice could submit the application direct to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under section 293 A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This provides for the case to be determined by the Secretary of State under an expedited procedure.

Property Development

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has received on the merits of the proximity principle in planning and building new housing developments; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 7 July 2008
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has received the Campaign to Protect Rural England's report The Proximity Principle: why we are living too far apart published in May.
	Many of the issues discussed in the report, such as prioritising the use of suitable brownfield land and making the most efficient and effective use of that land, are already set out in the Government's Housing Green Paper, Homes for the future:more affordable, more sustainable, and Planning Policy Statement 3 Housing (PPS3). PPS3 sets out that homes should be delivered to a high quality, in suitable locations, with good accessibility to jobs, key services and infrastructure, which will contribute to sustainable communities.
	The report also comments on eco-towns. We are currently consulting on eco-towns and the first stage of the consultation, which closed on 30 June, looked at potential locations of eco-towns and how they might be delivered. In due course we will provide a statement on the responses received. We will also draw on these responses, and look at the findings in this report to inform the second stage of consultation on the draft Sustainability Appraisal and draft planning policy statement.

Regional Development Agencies: Fraud

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many staff were prosecuted for  (a) attempting to defraud and  (b) defrauding each regional development agency in each year since the agencies were established; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many staff employed in each regional development agency defrauded that agency in each year since they were established; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many staff employed in each regional development agency were responsible for each instance of fraud or attempted fraud in each year since the agencies were established; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	No members of RDA staff have been prosecuted for either  (a) defrauding, or  (b) attempting to defraud the RDAs since they were established in 1999.
	There are no known instances of fraud or attempted fraud by RDA staff members.

Regional Development Agencies: Standards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria she uses to assess the  (a) accessibility and  (b) responsiveness of regional development agencies to the sectors they serve; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	Each RDA, in consultation with stakeholders in its region, has drawn up a regional economic strategy identifying the key priorities and sectors for securing the region's economic growth. BERR and other Government Departments are also involved in developing the strategy, as are businesses in the region. BERR ministers review and approve RDA corporate plans to ensure that they deliver against the priorities identified in the strategy.
	The RDAs are also responsible for the delivery of Business Link advice to firms in all sectors.

Social Conditions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition her Department uses of a poor quality environment for the purposes of measuring progress against her Department's liveability performance indicator.

Iain Wright: For the purposes of the Department's liveability performance indicator, a 'poor quality environment' is defined as one assessed to have 'major' or 'significant' problems relating to any of 16 environmental problems. The assessments are carried out by professional surveyors as part of the English House Condition Survey and are based on observed problems in the immediate environment of households, in some cases verified by residents. Problems are assessed on a scale of 1 ('no problems') to 5 ('major problems'), with scores of 4 and 5 corresponding with 'major' or 'significant'. The 16 specific environmental problems are:
	ambient air quality;
	condition of dwellings;
	dog or other excrement;
	graffiti;
	heavy traffic;
	intrusion from motorways/arterial roads;
	intrusive industry;
	litter and rubbish dumping;
	non-conforming uses;
	nuisance from street parking;
	railway/aircraft noise;
	scruffy gardens;
	scruffy/neglected buildings;
	vacant sites;
	vacant/boarded up buildings;
	vandalism.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Business: Rural Areas

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many recommendations in the Commission for Rural Communities report, England's rural areas: steps to release their economic potential, are within his Department's areas of responsibility and Department intends to implement; and if he will provide a timetable for implementation.

Patrick McFadden: The Rural Advocate's Report, commissioned by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, illustrates the contribution made by businesses in rural areas to the national economy. It highlights the relevance of activity across all levels of Government and by the private sector. The recommendations within the report are, therefore, very broadly targeted. The Department is working with other Government Departments and the RDAs in considering how best to respond to its recommendations.

China

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many officials in his Department visited China on official business in 2007-08, broken down by grade; and what the equivalent figures for the Department of Trade and Industry were in  (a) 1983,  (b) 1987 and  (c) each year between 1998 and 2006.

Gareth Thomas: According to records held by Carlson Wagonlit, the Department's travel agent, the number of Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform/Department of Trade and Industry officials who travelled to China between April 2005 and March 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			  April to March each year  Number 
			 2007-08 63 
			 2006-07 83 
			 2005-06 74 
		
	
	These figures relate to number of trips booked with Carlson Wagonlit only, and additional trips may have been taken. We are not able to provide a breakdown by grade. Information for any period earlier than April 2005 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental ICT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what IT contracts his Department and its agencies have entered into in the last two years.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Browne) on 5 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 2653-54W. The contracts listed in this answer remain unchanged and were all let in the last two years.
	I have approached the Chief Executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 14 July 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of the Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2007/3220) asking what IT contracts his Department and its agencies have entered into the last two years.
	The IT contracts have entered in the last two years is recorded under the table below:
	
		
			  IT Contracts  Contractor  Year of contract  Expiry of contract 
			 IT Desk Top Services/Infrastructure IBM 2007 2012 
			 IT Application Support Service Ace Database 2005 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Singularity (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2007 2010+ 
			 IT Product Licences Agresso (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2008 2010 
			 IT Product Licences Thunderhead (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2008 Ongoing 
			 IT Product Licences Wisdom (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Business Objects (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Parasoft 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Wisdom (subcontractor to Computacenter) 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Business Objects (sub-contractor to Computacenter) 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Parasoft 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Condeco 2008 2011 
			 IT Product Licences Parity 2007 2008 
			 IT Product Licences Serena 2006 2008 
			 IT Product Licences Wisdom (sub-contractor to Computacenter) 2007 2009 
			 IT Product Licences Microsoft/Trustmarque 2007 2010 
			 IT Product Licences CC Technology 2006 2008 
			 IT Product Licences/hardware BT 2007 2008 
		
	
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 14 July 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Since April 2006 Companies House has entered into the following IT contracts:
	Software Support Services for the Image Database
	Finance Systems Managed Service
	Mainframe Bureau Services and Print and Output Handling
	Multi-vendor Hardware Maintenance Services
	Network Support Services
	WAN Replacement and Support Services

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department and its agencies spent on branding and marketing activity in 2007-08.

Gareth Thomas: Since the creation of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform spend on branding is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Item   
			 Fees paid to advisors 0 
			 Stationery 2,354 
			 Rebranding and IT changes including revised email addresses, new signage, web based changes, new logo and print costs 191,709 
			 Cost of producing branding guidelines 20,000 
			 Total 214,063 
		
	
	In the 2007-08 financial year, spending on advertising and direct marketing procured through the Central Office of Information by my Department and the former DTI was as follows:
	
		
			  Advertising   
			 Nuclear energy consultation 2007-08 149,634 
			 Employing people 2007-08 77,447 
			 National minimum wage 2007-08 588,499 
			 Total for advertising 815,580 
		
	
	
		
			  Direct marketing   
			 BERR Information and consultation 2007-08 49,784 
			 Companies Act 2007-08 12,650 
			 Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulation 2007-08 168,798 
			 Employment Law 2007-08 607,534 
			 National minimum wage 2007-08 experiential activity 248,922 
			 Queen's award data cleanse 2007-08 7,320 
			 Queens awards publicity campaign 2007-08 125,500 
			 Total for direct marketing 1,220,508 
		
	
	Details of other costs for BERR advertising and marketing activities are not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	UK Trade and Investment's costs in maintaining its brand guidelines are 850.00 per month for hosting on the UKTI website. Other costs for UKTI marketing activities are not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Insolvency Service and Companies House will reply directly.
	 Letter from Tim Moss, dated 14 July 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	In the financial year 2007/8 Companies House spent 749,831 on branding and marketing activity.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 14 July 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of the Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2007/3026) asking how much the Department and its agencies spent on branding and marketing activity in 2007-08.
	The Insolvency Service Executive Agency spent 13,060.98 on branding and marketing in the financial year 2007-08.

Departmental Public Bodies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will introduce legislation requiring all regulatory bodies sponsored by his Department to admit the public to their meetings.

Gareth Thomas: The Department has no plans to introduce such legislation.
	However, the regulatory bodies generally have statutory duties under specific legislation e.g. Ofcom operates under the Communications Act 2003 and the Competition Commission's procedures are governed by the provisions of the Enterprise Act. They must abide by their statutory duties in the exercise of their functions. These include requirements to consult and to consider representations before taking decisions. The regulatory bodies can be held to account by Parliament, via the Business and Enterprise Committee and the Public Accounts Committee, for the exercise of their statutory duties.

Departmental Sick Leave

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many days of sick leave were taken by his Department's employees in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: Cabinet Office has introduced a revised format for reporting sickness absence statistics across the civil service. The new format was introduced at the end of March 2008 and the first report covers the calendar year 2007. It indicates 6.1 average working days lost per employee lost due to sickness.
	Sickness absence data for the Department's predecessor, the Department of Trade and Industry, for 2006-07, 2005 and 2004, including the average number of days taken as sick leave, are published on the public civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp
	along with data for other Departments and agencies.
	Earlier sickness data are not readily available and the cost of producing this would be disproportionate to the benefit to be derived.

Departmental Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what training courses were  (a) available to and  (b) taken by civil servants in his Department in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: Individuals and their line managers identify learning and development needs, and the appropriate training to attend, over the course of the year. Individuals can then access a variety of interventions to meet their requirements either through the Department's preferred suppliers or through other suppliers if the required training is not available. Details are not held centrally as learning and development is devolved across the Department.

Family Businesses

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what sources of advice and financial support are available to family businesses.

Patrick McFadden: The Government support a suite of national instruments to help businesses and SMEs to start up and grow. At the national level, the Small Firms Loan Guarantee exists to help lending to SMEs with viable business propositions that lack the necessary collateral with which to secure a commercial loan. Enterprise Capital Funds invest a mixture of public and private money into small growth businesses seeking up to 2 million in risk capital. Regions, via RDAs, also offer sources of finance on a regional and sub-regional basis, including loan and equity programmes, and support to prepare businesses with skills they need to attract finance. Information on national and regional programmes, and advice and support on wider issues is available on Business Link's website:
	www.busineslink.gov.uk
	and via their helpline on 0845 600 9006.

Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was spent by his Department on  (a) food and  (b) food of British origin in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: The following information shows the amount spent on food by the Department's contracted catering service provider, with the amount spent on food of British origin shown in brackets over the last five years:
	
		
			
			 2004 878,427 (527,056) 
			 2005 905,304 (570,341) 
			 2006 893,688 (580,897) 
			 2007 919,855 (735,884) 
			 2008(1) (to end June) 621,483 (497,186)

Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform from which five countries of origin the greatest amount of food was procured by his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the  (a) cost and  (b) quantity procured was in each case.

Gareth Thomas: The Department's contracted service provider does not hold records which would enable an accurate answer to be given and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The majority of food procured by our current contractor originates from the UK (meat, vegetables and fish), Europe (fruit and vegetables), France (poultry) and Greenland (seafood).

Foreign Investment in UK: China

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assistance his Department provides to Chinese businesses wishing to  (a) invest in the United Kingdom and  (b) take part in joint ventures with UK companies; how much was made available for these purposes in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: UK Trade and Investment promotes the UK as the location in Europe for foreign investors to do business. It provides information, advice, and guidance for companies wishing to locate in the UK and its Global Partnership Programme provides a fast expert partner matching service for overseas organisations.
	In 2003-04, the last year that Regional Selective Assistance was available, no offers were accepted or payments made to a Chinese owned company. Since Selective Finance for Investment (SFI) came into effect in April 2004 there has been one offer of 3.8 million accepted by a Chinese owned company in February this year. (SFI is a capital grant business support scheme that can, subject to European Commission and Treasury criteria being satisfied, provide financial assistance to companies, foreign owned or indigenous, who wish to invest or create jobs in deprived areas in England.)
	The UK welcomes inward investment from around the world, including China, which is why the latest European Investment Monitor figures show that in 2007 the UK remained the number one location in Europe for attracting inward investment globally with 19.2 per cent. of market share ahead for France in second place with 14.6 per cent.

Global Coal Management Resources

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for International Development on the proposed project by the UK company Global Coal Management Resources plc for an opencast coalmine at Phulbari in North West Bangladesh and possible effects for the population living in the area in advance of the decision to provide support to the company through the High Commission in Dhaka.

Gareth Thomas: BERR officials have held regular discussions with officials from the Department for International Development on this subject, both in the UK and the British high commission in Dhaka.

Medical Treatments: Lasers

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many complaints have been received by local trading standards bodies about non-surgical laser and intense pulsed light treatments in the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: Consumer contact with Local Authority Trading Standards Services has been handled by the Government funded Consumer Direct telephone and online advice service since June 2004. Before this time contacts were made direct to the 205 local authorities and are not readily available or collected by BERR.
	Contacts recorded against the categories of hair removal therapy; beauty treatments; cosmetic therapies; hair replacement therapies and the term laser identifies 199 contacts since June 2004. A contact may be a complaint or could be a request for other information such as pre-shopping advice. Consumer Direct does not specifically record contacts regarding non-surgical laser and intense pulsed light treatments.

Oil: Prices

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will hold discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential use as business cost relief of tax revenues obtained from increased oil prices.

Gareth Thomas: My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a wide range of issues.

Post Offices: Closures

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the impact on people with disabilities of the planned closure of Hinton St George post office in Somerset; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Public Holidays

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his policy is on the establishment of an additional public holiday; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Government are currently conducting a wide-ranging consultation on the nature of our citizenship and our constitution, including how best we celebrate our national identity. As part of this process, we have received a number of suggestions for new or replacement bank holidays, designed to celebrate or commemorate aspects of British life or history. At present, we have no plans to change the current pattern of bank holidays, but we are nevertheless considering all these suggestions carefully.

Street Trading: Regulation

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what consideration he has made of introducing a public Bill with generally applicable provisions analogous to those in the Leeds City Council Bill and other similar private Bills.

Gareth Thomas: I am aware that several local authorities, including Leeds city council, are pursuing private Bills seeking to extend their powers in relation to the control of street trading and to limit the activities of certified pedlars, and that some seven local authorities have already done so.
	This Department is in the process of undertaking research to better establish evidence about the effectiveness of current legislation in this area and to gather views from all stakeholder groups with an interest. This will enable us to better assess whether there is a case for national legislation to provide all local authorities with additional powers along the lines of the private Bills and Acts; and to decide the best way forward that balances the interests of business, consumers and pedlars.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Advertising: EU Action

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations his Department has received on the effect of the proposed changes to the rules on product placement contained in the European Audiovisual Media Services Directive.

Andy Burnham: Since the AVMS Directive was adopted in December 2007, my Department has received three written representations on this issue.

Advertising: EU Action

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to start consultation on the implementation of the European Audiovisual Media Services Directive; and how long the consultation will last.

Andy Burnham: I intend to begin this consultation shortly. The consultation period will last for at least 12 weeks.

Arts: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what courses have been organised as part of the Cultural Leadership programme in each of the last three years; and what the cost of each has been;
	(2)  what the estimated cost of staging the Cultural Leadership programme  (a) Vision 2020 event at the Royal Opera House on 26 June 2008 and  (b) Alumni gathering event at the Emirates Stadium on 11 September 2008 is; and how much has been spent by the Cultural Leadership programme on conferences and events in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 7 July 2008
	According to Arts Council England, the Cultural Leadership Programme has delivered, itself and with a range of partners, over 300 courses since June 2006. The courses have ranged from two-week intensive courses to one-day and half-day courses. Details are set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   Cost () 
			 Clore Leadership 4,100 
			 Catalyst/Impact Unleashed 22,000 
			 Networks 3,000 
			 Governance 4,000 
		
	
	
		
			  2007-08 
			   Cost () 
			 Clore Leadership 4,100 
			 Clore Fellows 4,100 
			 Leadership Development Days 5,100 
			 Dynamics of Leadership Coaching 20,000 
			 Dynamics of Leadership Coaching 2 12,000 
			 Networks 3,000 
			 Governance (Clore) 6,000 
			 Governance (Gold) 14,000 
			 Shape Future Leaders 1,500 
			 Carver Model 3,500 
			 Entrepreneurs 15,000 
			 Discovering Voices 19,000 
			 The Circle 1,000 
			 Action Learning Sets 1,000 
			 CEO Breakfasts 2,400 
			 Strategic Skills Training 5,800 
		
	
	
		
			  2008 -0 9 
			   Cost () 
			 Clore Leadership 4,100 
			 Clore Fellows 4,100 
			 Leadership Development Days 5,100 
			 Dynamics of Leadership: Foundation Course 11,500 
			 Integrated Leadership 8,000 
			 Networks 2,000 
			 Governance 6,000 
			 Action Learning Sets 1,000 
			 Facilitation Skills 12,000 
			 The Circle 1,000

BBC

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to put in place mechanisms for enhanced parliamentary oversight of the BBC, with particular reference to its development of  (a) local video news services and  (b) education websites.

Andy Burnham: I have no plans to do so. The question of parliamentary oversight of the BBC was fully addressed in the BBC Charter review.

BBC Trust: Accountability

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what elements of the 2006 agreement between his Department and the BBC govern the financial accountability of the BBC Trust.

Andy Burnham: Provisions as to the financial accountability of the BBC Trust are included in article 45 of the Royal Charter, which deals with reporting and accounting arrangements for the BBC as a whole.

BBC: Internet

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will undertake an assessment of the effect on the commercial television market of the BBC's proposal to create web pages for every episode of each television programme it broadcasts.

Andy Burnham: I have no plans to do so. Under the terms of the BBC's Charter and agreement, the BBC Trust must have regard to the competitive impact of the BBC's activities on the wider market.

BBC: Manpower

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 86W, on the BBC, if he will give a breakdown of the expenditure referred to by main budget heading; and how much was spent on  (a) staff costs and  (b) redundancies.

Andy Burnham: This is a matter for the BBC. I have, therefore, asked the BBC's director of finance to write to the hon. Member direct. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Buildings

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on which buildings occupied by his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies the lease will be due for renewal in the next four years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department has the following information regarding leases due for renewal in the next four years:
	
		
			  Leases due for renewal 
			   Renewal date 
			  Arts Council England  
			 Eastgate Business Park, Basildon 2010 
			 Future House, Bradford 2008 
			 Sovereign House, Brighton 2009 
			 Manchester House, Manchester 2008 
			 Manchester House, Manchester 2011 
			 Manchester House, Manchester 2010 
			 Unit A212 LCB Depot, Leicester 2008 
			 17-18 The Parade, Margate 2009 
			   
			  Big Lottery Fund  
			 Baron House, Newcastle Upon Tyne 2009 
			 Dominion House, Guildford 2010 
			 Carlton Tower, Leeds 2009 
			 1 Cromac Quay, Belfast 2008 
			 Elizabeth House, Cambridge 2009 
			 Greyfriars Road, Cardiff 2009 
			 Newhall Street, Birmingham 2009 
			   
			  British Standard Commission  
			 The Sanctuary, Victoria 2010 
			 English Heritage  
			 Canada House, Manchester 2009 
			 55 Blandford Street, London 2009 
			 Unit 5, Marlborough Court, Exeter 2011 
			 Wyndham House, Salisbury 2009 
			 1 Waterhouse Square, London 2998 
			 Fortress House, London 2010 
			   
			  Football Licensing Authority  
			 Harcourt House, London 2010 
			   
			  Heritage Lottery Fund  
			 Holbein Place, London 2009 
			   
			  Imperial War Museum  
			 The Wych, Cambridge 2012 
			 65-67 Lambeth Walk, London 2010 
			   
			  National Gallery  
			 St. Vincent House, Victoria 2008 
			   
			  National Heritage Memorial Fund  
			 Carlton Tower, Leeds 2012 
			 Holbein Place, London 2009 
			 Trinity Court, Exeter 2009 
			 Trinity Court, Exeter 2010 
			 82 King Street, Manchester 2010 
			 82 King Street, Manchester 2012 
			 114-116 St Mary Street, Cardiff 2012 
			 St Nicholas Court 25-27, Nottingham 2012 
			 Bank House, Birmingham 2012 
			 Adelaide Road, Belfast 2012 
			   
			  National Lottery Commission  
			 101 Wigmore Street, London 2012 
			   
			  National Maritime Museum  
			 Vizgol House, London 2009 
			   
			  National Portrait Gallery  
			 Unit 15, Merton Industrial Park, London 2009 
			  Natural History Museum  
			 Units 1 and 2, Willow Lane, Mitcham 2011 
			   
			  Olympic Delivery Authority  
			 11 Burford Road, London 2008 
			 1 Churchill Place, Docklands 2009 
			   
			  Sport England  
			 Astley House, Manchester 2009 
			 Cresent House, Bedford 2009 
			 Grove House, Nottingham 2011 
			   
			  The Churches Conservation Trust  
			 1 West Smithfield, London 2012 
			   
			  Victoria and Albert Museum  
			 88 Kirtling Street, London 2012 
			   
			  Visit Britain  
			 Thames Tower, London 2009 
			 1 Regent Street, London 2012 
			 1 Regent Street, London 2008 
			 1 Regent Street, London 2010

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff have been disciplined by  (a) his Department,  (b) Arts Council England,  (c) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council,  (d) English Heritage,  (e) the Big Lottery Fund,  (f) Sport England,  (g) UK Sport and  (h) the Heritage Lottery Fund for (i) bullying and (ii) harassment of colleagues in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 7 July 2008
	The table indicates how many members of staff have been disciplined for bullying and harassment of colleagues, as provided by the bodies in question.
	
		
			   DCMS  Arts Council England  MLA  English Heritage  Big Lottery  Sport England  UK Sport  Heritage Lottery Fund 
			  Bullying 
			 2005 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 
			 2006 0 0 0  0 (1)1 0 0 
			 2007 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  Harassment 
			 2005 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 
			 2006 0 0 0 1 0 (1)1 0 0 
			 2007 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Same employee disciplined for bullying and harassment.

Departmental Responsibilities

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish each of his Department's directorates' most recent business plans.

Margaret Hodge: My Department underwent a reorganisation on 15 April 2008 in response to the findings of its Capability Review. Business planning for 2008-09 focused on how the Department should be configured. Now that most of the Department has been restructured, the new directorates are working on plans to show how they intend to deliver against departmental goals. A Corporate Plan was published on 15 April and is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/DCMS_Corporate_Plan_2008_PDF.pdf

Festivals and Special Occasions: Finance

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by publicly-funded bodies for which his Department is responsible on celebrations of  (a) St. David's Day,  (b) St. Patrick's Day,  (c) St. George's Day and  (d) St. Andrew's Day in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 7 July 2008
	This information is not held centrally and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Festivals and Special Occasions: Religion

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many days of religious celebration his Department allocated funding to in 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department did not allocate any funding to religious celebration days in 2007.

Listed Buildings: Schools

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Grade  (a) I,  (b) II* and  (c) II listed buildings are in use as school buildings.

Margaret Hodge: It is not possible to say how many listed buildings are currently in use as school buildings. The English Heritage Listed Building System records the number of listed buildings in the category of schools as:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Grade I 195 
			 Grade II* 494 
			 Grade II 4,688 
		
	
	These figures include buildings that were originally built as schools, but are now in another use; buildings that were used as a school as part of their chronological history; and buildings that, since listing, are no longer used as schools.

Sport: Community Development

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by Sport England through the Priority Groups Revenue Fund in each year since 1999.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that the Priority Revenues Group Fund was renamed and became Active Communities Development Fund in February 2001. There was no funding prior to 2001. The amounts spent in each year since 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			   Programme  Total 
			 2001-02 Active Communities Development Fund 7,373,308 
			 2002-03 Active Communities Development Fund 6,136,687 
			 2003-04 Active Communities Development Fund 2,244,655 
			 2004-05 Active Communities Development Fund 230,012 
			 2005-06 Active Communities Development Fund 11,571 
			 2006-07 Active Communities Development Fund 1,900 
			 2007-08 Active Communities Development Fund 11,625

Sports

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Ministers in his Department attended or plan to attend the  (a) Ascot Race Week,  (b) Henley Regatta,  (c) Wimbledon Championships,  (d) British Grand Prix,  (e) Lords Test Matches and  (f) Open Golf Championship in 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Secretary of State attended the Wimbledon Championships Men's Final on 6 July, and the Lords Tests Match on 11 July. I attended the Ascot Race on 17 June and the British Grand Prix on 6 July, and the Lords Tests Match on 10 July. I will also be going to the Open Golf Championship on 20 July.

Sports: Commonwealth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he  (a) has recently taken and  (b) plans to take to improve sporting links between the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are a number of recent initiatives and planned activities, primarily delivered through bodies such as UK Sport and the British Council, designed to improve sporting links between the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries.
	UK Sport currently supports sport development projects and programmes which foster school links through sport in 21 Commonwealth countries and plans to work in one further Commonwealth country. UK Sport works in conjunction with the British Council and UNICEF to deliver the international inspiration project to inspire young people in developing countries and communities to take part in sport.
	In addition Dreams + Teams is an initiative to promote Youth Leadership and School Links through sport. Dreams + Teams currently operate in the Commonwealth countries (as shown in the table). We anticipate that much of the work on Dreams + Teams will be absorbed into International Inspiration and Premier Skills (a joint development project between the British Council and the Premier League) over the next two years.
	UK Sport hosted the Next Step Conference, empowering young sports leaders to champion the Olympic values of friendship and fair play, in Namibia in 2007 where 19 Commonwealth countries were represented.
	Representatives from 67 of the 71 Commonwealth Games Associations attended the Commonwealth Sports Development Conference in Glasgow in June 2008 focusing on how sport and development initiatives can raise levels of grass-roots participation and create pathways to excellence both here in the UK and in the developing world, and was hosted by Culture and Sport Glasgow with support from Glasgow city council.
	UK Sport and the Commonwealth Games Federation signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2007 for a four year period to develop and broaden the relationship between the two organizations. Additionally, Sue Campbell, Chair of UK Sport, is also Chair of Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS) which was established in 2005 to promote the value of sport as a tool for social, economic, health and educational development. Its advocacy work is directed primarily at the Commonwealth governments through their Ministers of Sport, the Commonwealth secretariat and other key policy-makers.
	
		
			  Countries where UK Sport International Development Programmes and British Council Dreams + Teams programmes are currently working 
			   Country  UK Sport International Development Programmes  Dreams + Teams 
			 1 Botswana yes yes 
			 2 Cameroon yes yes 
			 3 Ghana  yes 
			 4 India yes yes 
			 5 Kenya yes yes 
			 6 Lesotho yes  
			 7 Malawi yes yes 
			 8 Malaysia  yes 
			 9 Mauritius  yes 
			 10 Mozambique  yes 
			 11 Namibia yes yes 
			 12 Nigeria yes yes 
			 13 Pakistan  yes 
			 14 Sierra Leone  yes 
			 15 Singapore  yes 
			 16 South Africa yes yes 
			 17 Sri Lanka  yes 
			 18 Tanzania yes yes 
			 19 Trinidad and Tobago  yes 
			 20 Uganda  yes 
			 21 Zambia yes yes 
			  Bangladesh (1)  
			 (1) There are plans in place to extend work to Bangladesh.

Strip Clubs

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1375W, on strip clubs, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), how many licensable activities have been carried out under the Licensing Act 2003; and what activities are included in that category.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the number of licences and certificates in force on 31 March 2007 in England and Wales which permitted regulated entertainment. This shows responses from 68 per cent. of licensing authorities. Around 53 per cent. of licensing authorities provided the further break down by type of permitted regulated entertainment.
	
		
			   Total  Percentage of entertainment licences  Percentage of all licences 
			 Premises licences 162,053  100 
			 
			 Premises licences with any regulated entertainment 72,643 100 45 
			 Plays 8,798 12 5 
			 Films 15,296 21 9 
			 Indoor sporting events 13,119 18 8 
			 Boxing or wrestling 1,692 2 1 
			 Live music 38,096 52 24 
			 Recorded music 48,977 67 30 
			 Performance of dance 21,622 30 13 
			 Entertainment similar to live music, recorded music or dance 18,953 26 12 
			 Facilities for making music 23,864 33 15 
			 Facilities for dancing 26,919 37 17 
			 Facilities for entertainment similar to making music or dancing 14,579 20 9 
			 
			 Club premises certificates 15,187  100 
			 
			 Club premises certificates with any regulated entertainment 9,100 100 60 
			 Plays 1,257 14 8 
			 Films 1,708 19 11 
			 Indoor sporting events 2,895 32 19 
			 Boxing or wrestling 341 4 2 
			 Live music 5,548 61 37 
			 Recorded music 5,953 65 39 
			 Performance of dance 2,742 30 18 
			 Entertainment similar to live music, recorded music or dance 2,202 24 14 
			 Facilities for making music 2,944 32 19 
			 Facilities for dancing 4,637 51 31 
			 Facilities for entertainment similar to making music or dancing 1,893 21 12 
			  Note: Multiple activities can apply to a particular premises. 
		
	
	Entertainment is regulated by the Act if it includes the performance of live music or dance, recorded music or entertainment comparable to these activities. It must be available to the public or members and guests of a qualifying club (whether a charge is made or not), or to a private audience if there is a charge with a view to making a profit.
	Premises offering entertainment in the form of striptease or similar dancing must, therefore, apply for a licence to cater for the performance of dance (or entertainment of similar description), live or recorded music and, if it has a bar, alcohol sales.

Tourism: Career Structure

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward policies to promote career development strategies in the tourism industry.

Margaret Hodge: People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for the tourism industry, is promoting career development opportunities as part of the National Skills Strategy for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourisman employer-led strategy launched by my Department in March 2007. Government have signed up to the strategy's 10-point plan to improve skills, retention and career development, which is a key part of my Department's broader tourism strategy for 2012 and beyond.
	Within the National Skills Strategy, People 1st has developed an on-line skills and employment resourcethe UKSP (previously the UK Skills Passport)which includes a detailed and easy-to-use career map of the sector, and allows individuals to match themselves and their skills to the best employers who have signed up to the industry's 'Good Employer' standards. UKSP marketing is also targeted to attract new talent by showing potential recruits the career opportunities available right across the sector. People 1st is also giving clarity to the role of qualifications in an individual's career pathway, from pre-entry to employment, through to workplace development and progression.
	Finally, the National Skills Academy for Hospitality was approved by Government in May. Over the next five years over 65,000 learners will go through academy programmes, helping learners develop good careers in the industry through UKSP and by linking up with the network of Good Employers.

Travel Information: Human Rights

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to encourage travel companies to inform their customers of the human rights records of countries to which they are travelling.

Margaret Hodge: My Department's interests in relation to tourism are to champion the tourism and leisure industries, helping everyone make the most of the UK as a tourist and leisure destination.
	My Department is not responsible for regulation of the outbound tourism industry, and I have no plans to impose or encourage travel companies to provide information to customers on the human rights records of countries they intend to visit.
	Information on the Government's human rights policy overseas is available through the FCO website. Some aspects of human rights are covered in local laws and customs in FCO Travel Advice as they relate to Britons travelling abroad.
	The Association of British Travel Agents advise that their code of practice for tour operators encourages them to adhere to the FCO travel advice for their customers who are travelling abroad, but it is ultimately down to customers to make informed decisions about were they choose to holiday.

World Book Day: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on promoting World Book Day in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: World Book Day is not a Government initiative, but a partnership of publishers, booksellers and others.
	However the promotion of literacy and the love of reading remain central to the purpose of the modern public library, so we fully support the Day's efforts and focus for children, adults and family learners about the benefits that reading can bring.

World Heritage Sites

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to publish the review of the tentative list of World Heritage sites in the UK.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 14 July 2008
	 The paper on the Review of World Heritage Policy is currently under consideration. A decision on publication will be made shortly.

World Heritage Sites: Climate Change

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will review the management plan for World Heritage Sites in the UK with regard to their effects on climate change.

Margaret Hodge: In accordance with UNESCO's adopted recommendations on climate change at its 2006 World Heritage Committee in Vilnius (WHC-06/30.COM/7.1), UK World Heritage Site Steering Groups are considering the effects of climate change when reviewing their management plans. Management plans are reviewed every five years.

DEFENCE

7 Regiment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what tasks were completed by 7 Regiment in the last six months.

Bob Ainsworth: In the last six months 7 Regiment Army Air Corps undertook various tasks including: support to training for operational deployment, support to UK operations, support to non-operational training, recruiting activities and communication flights.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) private security companies,  (b) nations and  (c) intergovernmental organisations are involved with training Afghan national police; and how many British citizens participate in each training initiative, broken down by (i) military and (ii) civilian personnel.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government hold contracts with Global Strategies Ltd. and G4S (formerly Armour Group) to deliver elements of our work with the Afghan police. The US Government contract a number of private security companies to deliver training, including Blackwater Worldwide and DynCorp International. We do not hold a full list of the companies used by other nations.
	A total of 25 nations provide training to the Afghan police. The European Police Mission to Afghanistan (EUPOL) currently includes officers from 21 nations, specifically Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
	The US, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Turkey also have personnel providing training to the Afghan national police on a bilateral basis, as do the UN Office of Drugs and Crime and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
	The Government have deployed a total of 84 personnel to work with the police in Afghanistan. Of these, 11 are deployed as part of EUPOL, three are deployed as police advisors to the US reform programme and 70 work on bilateral projects.
	Out of 84 UK personnel, 24 are from the military and the remainder are civilians.

Air Force: Training

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-commissioned officers in the RAF have achieved the National Examining Board for Supervision and Management Award at diploma level since 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Aircraft Carriers

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the through-life cost of powering the new aircraft carriers with  (a) conventional gas turbine/diesel engines and  (b) nuclear reactor plants;
	(2)  what studies his Department has undertaken on suitability of nuclear reactor power for the new aircraft carriers.

Bob Ainsworth: The through-life cost of powering the Future Aircraft Carriers with a combination of conventional gas turbines and diesel engines was considered during the assessment and demonstration phases of the project and selected as the preferred option for manufacture. On nuclear reactor plants, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 11 June 2008,  Official Report, column 255W, and on 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 304W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

Aircraft Carriers

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the designs for Carrier Vessel Future have retained the option to install  (a) catapults and  (b) arrestor gear.

Bob Ainsworth: Yes. The adaptable design retains the option to install both catapults and arrestor gear.

Aircraft Carriers

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has considered the potential installation of  (a) steam-powered or  (b) electro-magnetic catapults for the Carrier Vessel Future.

Bob Ainsworth: Yes. Both these options were considered during the assessment phase of the Future Aircraft Carrier project, prior to the adoption of the current adaptable design, configured for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft.

Aircraft Carriers

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what UK involvement there is in the Electro-magnetic Aircraft Launch System project; and what estimate he has made of UK expenditure on the project to completion.

Bob Ainsworth: The UK has no direct involvement in the US Electro-magnetic Aircraft Launch System project and has not committed funds to this project.

Armed Conflict: Medals

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the merits of awarding a veteran's badge to those who worked in munitions factories in the UK during the world wars; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Veterans Badge is designed explicitly to recognise those who have served at any time in the country's armed forces and it would not therefore be appropriate to extend this badge to those who worked in munitions factories in the UK during the World Wars. The Government hold in high esteem the contribution of all those who supported the war effort during these major periods of national conflict which has been recognised in a number of different ways depending on the particular group. Any question of a badge specifically for munitions workers would be a matter for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which has legacy responsibility for those matters covered by the Ministry of Supply, including those who worked in the munitions industry.

Armed Forces: Delivery Services

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which commercial undertakings do not acknowledge BFPO addresses for deliveries;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure that servicemen who receive their mail via BFPO addresses are not discriminated against by commercial undertakings;
	(3)  if he will make it his policy not to place departmental business with commercial undertakings which do not deliver to BFPO addresses.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 14 July 2008
	We are aware of a small number of commercial undertakings who do not acknowledge BFPO addresses for deliveries, however companies are free to make their own commercial decisions. In these circumstances, it is MOD policy to work with the organisations to persuade them to adapt their systems to accommodate BFPO addresses. BFPO is in negotiation with the Royal Mail Group, and its IT system providers to develop a technical solution, while continuing to implement successfully 'work-around' solutions with individual companies.
	Approximately 1,500 commercial undertakings, including major mail order companies and carriers, have entered into contracts with BFPO and offer deliveries to BFPO addresses. A full list of these can be found on the BFPO website at
	www.bfpo.org.uk.
	All MOD contracts are subject to Government procurement regulations and it would be unlawful to discriminate against any company.

Armed Forces: Disability Living Allowance

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) service personnel and  (b) veterans are (i) waiting for and (ii) in redress of disability allowances being offered.

Derek Twigg: The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) administers two schemes under which disability allowances may become payablethe armed forces compensation scheme (AFCS) and the war pension scheme (WPS). In the case of AFCS, ongoing disability allowances are payable to the most seriously injured and this payment becomes due on discharge. Therefore there are no such claims for ongoing disability allowances outstanding for serving personnel. However the majority of awards comprise of a lump sum payment which may be paid in service or following service depending on when the individual decides to make a claim. WPS claims are always made and awarded following discharge.
	SPVA records show that at 31 March 2008 the number of claims of disability related payments, in the process of consideration, against each scheme was 1,292 for serving personnel and veterans under AFCS and 7,238 for veterans under WPS. This does not constitute a backlog as the claims are at various stages of consideration in line with the normal procedures. In considering claims under both schemes, medical evidence of the condition(s) claimed, prognosis for recovery or enduring disability and evidence of the link to service is required. Depending on the complexity and needs of the individual cases, gaining sufficient information in order to properly inform the correct decision can take a varying amount of time.
	With regard to the number of claims under redress both schemes offer an appeals process which utilises the independent Pension Appeal Tribunals (administered by the Ministry of Justice). Personnel may decide to appeal for a number of reasons such as the availability of additional information or because they disagree with any aspect of the decision made. The number of appeals currently in progress is 102 for AFCS and 565 for WPS.

Armed Forces: Food

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many operational ration packs his Department disposed of in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 14 July 2008
	During the last five years, the MOD's Defence Storage and Distribution Agency has disposed of the following quantities of 24 hour operational ration packs (ORP):
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 3,132 
			 2004 16,083 
			 2005 95,299 
			 2006 420 
			 2007 7,152 
		
	
	Figures are not held centrally for disposal of ORPs issued to front line Commands and for use on operations.

Armed Forces: Food

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it cost his Department to procure an operational ration pack in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 14 July 2008
	The cost of procurement of an operational ration pack is not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost.
	The average cost of the components required to make one ORP are as follows:
	
		
			
			 24 hour general purpose ORP 8.75 
			 24 hour Sikh/Hindu ORP 8.77 
			 24 hour Halal ORP 9.34 
			 24 hour vegetarian ORP 8.89

Armed Forces: Food

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the use of operational ration packs which are approaching the end of their shelf life.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 14 July 2008
	All operational ration packs (ORP) components are intended to achieve a minimum of 24 months shelf life after production. A selection of each pack date is sent for analysis by the MOD contracted chemist at the 18 month point. Depending on the recommendations made by the chemist the rations are then recommended for re-inspection in six months, three months or certified as no longer suitable for issue. This process is repeated until the rations are certified as no longer suitable for issue. A monthly report is issued to all units in the armed forces through front line Commands detailing the material condition of each pack date. Action is then taken to ensure that stocks are managed accordingly.

Armed Forces: Housing

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many houses on the Ministry of Defence estate in  (a) the North of England and  (b) Cumbria will be refurbished in each of the next five years.

Derek Twigg: Refurbishment of property is not readily distinguishable from other maintenance or upgrade expenditure when compiling data and planning for Service Families Accommodation (SFA).
	The Upgrade Programme prioritises those properties identified as being in the greatest need.
	There are no properties on the current upgrade programme in the north of England (defined as north of the Mersey/Humber).

Armed Forces: Manpower

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1035W, on armed forces: manpower, if he will make it his policy to collect such information centrally and place it in the Library.

Bob Ainsworth: Medical Employment Standard (MES) codes (and supporting codes showing Medical Limitations) are used to define an individual's medical fitness and enable the communication of the necessary information to their career manager/chain of command without any breach of medical confidentiality. These codes are used to ensure that an individual is appropriately employed without unnecessarily endangering their own health or that of others. Historically, the codes have evolved along single-service lines and this presents difficulties in deriving a consistent, central view of medical employability across the services which has made it impractical to provide the information requested. Currently, the MES codes do not equate to medical 'deployability' (i.e. the fitness of an individual to deploy on operations).
	A working group has been set up to define and plan a set of Joint MES codes and Medical Limitations against which all service personnel will be assessed for their deployability and employability status. This definition work is due to be complete by the end of 2008 and the changes will be implemented on relevant IT systems as soon as possible thereafter. Once in place, this system will provide centrally held information on fitness for employment and deployability. Once the system is in place we will consider the most appropriate means by which this information could be placed in the Library of the House.
	It is the Department's intention to maximise the employability and deployability of all individuals at all times. This means that an individual who is unfit for frontline operational duty may still be employable within his/her service. Each case is considered and managed on its individual merits.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel there are, broken down by  (a) service,  (b) branch,  (c) regiment and  (d) trade.

Bob Ainsworth: I have placed the information requested in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide figures of sales and receipts of  (a) substitute single living accommodation and  (b) substitute service family accommodation housing in (i) Scotland and (ii) Northern Ireland in each year since 1995.

Derek Twigg: As substitute service family accommodation (SSFA) and substitute single service accommodation (SSSA) are sourced from the local commercial rental market, such properties are not owned by MOD and no receipts accrue to this Department. We cease paying rent when families vacate.
	SSFA and SSSA are not used in Northern Ireland.

Army: Recruitment

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Army will not recruit a person with a known nut allergy.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 14 July 2008
	All Army personnel, regardless of their chosen trade, must be fit to serve anywhere in the world, in all environments and in locations where medical care may be limited or remote, and medical re-supply uncertain or impossible.
	Regrettably, it is not possible to guarantee that food provided through the military catering system is nut-free. Labelling alone would not therefore provide a sufficient safeguard for an individual with a nut intolerance attempting to self-regulate their diet. Neither would it be practical to make special arrangements to accommodate people with such an allergy. It would therefore be highly irresponsible of the Army to employ an individual with such a condition.
	For these reasons any recruit with a past history of food allergy is automatically graded as unfit for service, unless there is irrefutable evidence that they are no longer sensitive.

AWE Management: Manpower

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes there were in the staffing levels of the Atomic Weapons Establishment in each year since 2003; and what the reasons for each annual change were.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 849W and 7 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1144W.

Defence: Foreign Investment in UK

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Chancellor of the Exchequer the potential for national security implications to arise from overseas shareholdings in British defence companies.

Bob Ainsworth: As the Government's Defence Industrial Strategy (Cm6697) made clear, we welcome overseas investment in the UK's Defence technological and industrial base. Transactions in the defence arena are closely monitored by Government Departments. Where a potential acquisition by a foreign company raises national security concerns, the Enterprise Act 2002 empowers the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, normally following consultation with Defence Ministers, to intervene in order to remedy those concerns, usually through statutory undertakings provided by the acquiring company.

Defence: Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the revised version of the Defence Industrial Strategy.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my noble Friend, Baroness Taylor of Bolton gave in the other place on 16 June 2008,  Official Report,  House of  Lords, column 795, to the noble Lord, Lord Astor of Hever.

Departmental Internet

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on updating the  (a) Defence News and  (b) Defence News Blog section of the Ministry of Defence Website during off-duty hours and at weekends.

Derek Twigg: The Defence News section of the MOD website and the Defence News Blog aim to provide the latest news and information about UK armed forces and MOD activity to the defence community and the public. Both can be updated outside of office hours and at weekends through a duty officer system.
	Out-of-hours updates are generally confined to (i) important, unplanned developments such as operational fatalities and (ii) coverage of significant, pre-planned events and announcements which occur outside of office hours, such as Remembrance Sunday.
	Although closely interlinked, the Defence News section of the MOD website and the Defence News Blog are separate websites, and hosted separately. If one site is unavailable for any reason, any necessary updates can be added to the other, giving a capability which is robust to technical outages, planned or unplanned.

Exservicemen: Pensions

Michael Mates: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Government will offer ex-servicemen who retired from the armed forces before 31 March 1973 the opportunity of buying their wives a forces family widows pension at half-rate on an actuarially calculated, no cost basis.

Derek Twigg: No. It would be difficult, in equity, to extend the half rate pension to widows whose husbands had left the service before 31 March 1973 because they had not contributed financially towards the improvement. It has also been the long-standing policy of successive Governments that discretionary changes to improve the benefits offered by public service pensions schemes should be implemented for future service only.

Home Information Packs

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many home information packs have been commissioned by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies to market a residential property; for which properties; at what cost; and whether a voluntary home condition report was purchased as part of the packs.

Derek Twigg: This Department has commissioned two home information packs in respect of the disposal of 7 and 9 Ladysmith Road, Ashton-under- Lyne, Greater Manchester at a cost of 250.00 each. No voluntary home condition reports were provided.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of flying hours for each  (a) aircraft and  (b) helicopter type operating in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan was in each of the last 12 months.

Des Browne: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Hercules flights there have been between Iraq and Afghanistan in each of the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: We do not run a regular schedule of C130 Hercules flights between Iraq and Afghanistan. Statistics on those flights which have taken place are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Aircraft: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) RAF,  (b) Fleet Air Arm and  (c) Army personnel completed training for (i) fast jet and (ii) rotary types in each year since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Financial year 
			  Service  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Fleet Air Arm
			 Fast-Jet 5 8 7 10 4 2 3 
			 Rotary 56 62 64 76 52 46 64 
			  Army
			 Rotary 41 46 43 41 50 46 45 
			 
			  RAF( 1)
			 Fast-Jet 65 62 72 72 51 55 58 
			 Rotary 58 79 83 76 50 63 93 
			 
			 (1 )These figures include all RAF personnel who completed training for fast-jet and rotary aircraft (i.e. pilots, navigators and crewmen) as appropriate. The figures for rotary aircraft include Chinook, Merlin and Puma.

Military Attaches

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department was of each defence section in each (a) city and (b) country outside the UK in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the cost of each Defence Section by city and country outside the UK in each year since 2000.
	
		
			Financial year 
			  Capital  Country  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Kabul(1) Afghanistan (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 
			 Abu Dhabi UAE 189,693 199,178 249,295 261,760 268,304 275,012 242,928 249,001 
			 Abuja Nigeria 191,675 201,259 214,364 225,083 230,710 236,477 305,844 313,490 
			 Accra Ghana 184,814 194,055 279,299 293,264 300,595 308,110 236,758 242,677 
			 Addis Ababa Ethiopia (2) (2) (2) 212,000 217,300 222,733 224,702 230,320 
			 Algiers Algeria (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 170,547 174,811 
			 Astana(1) Kazakhstan (2) (2) 204,417 214,638 220,004 225,504 294,360 301,719 
			 Amman Jordan 367,846 386,238 537,108 563,963 578,062 592,513 421,334 431,867 
			 Ankara Turkey 356,948 374,795 427,786 449,175 460,404 471,915 517,932 530,880 
			 Athens Greece 627,865 659,258 603,346 633,513 649,351 665,585 536,096 549,498 
			 Baghdad Iraq (2) (2) (2) 212,000 217,300 222,733 239,220 245,201 
			 Bahrain Bahrain 156,197 164,007 183,023 192,174 196,978 201,903 183,703 188,296 
			 Bangkok Thailand 203,861 214,054 220,409 231,429 237,215 243,145 279,972 286,971 
			 Beirut Lebanon 153,354 161,022 165,376 173,645 177,986 182,436 155,408 159,293 
			 Belgrade Serbia 11,326 175,000 273,920 287,616 294,806 302,177 329,473 337,710 
			 Berlin(2) Germany 788,428 824,527 934,481 977,714 1,002,157 1,027,211 828,874 849,595 
			 Berne Switzerland 184,073 193,277 194,773 204,511 209,624 (3) (3) (3) 
			 Bogota Colombia 208,448 218,870 258,718 271,654 278,446 285,407 310,662 318,429 
			 Brasilia Brazil 501,808 526,898 532,212 558,822 572,793 587,113 378,896 388,368 
			 Bratislava Slovakia 135,088 141,842 299,034 313,985 321,835 329,881 303,752 311,346 
			 Bridgetown Barbados 222,646 233,778 241,552 253,630 259,970 266,469 292,571 299,885 
			 Brunei Brunei 136,695 143,530 181,450 190,522 195,285 200,167 183,739 188,332 
			 Brussels Belgium 276,079 289,883 286,189 300,498 308,011 (3) (3) (3) 
			 Bucharest Romania 198,631 208,563 318,589 334,519 342,882 351,454 469,934 481,682 
			 Budapest Hungary 172,674 181,308 293,507 308,182 315,887 323,784 20,618 21,133 
			 Buenos Aires Argentina 557,661 585,544 520,081 546,085 559,737 573,730 456,978 468,402 
			 Cairo Egypt 456,405 479,225 456,473 479,297 491,279 503,561 438,708 449,676 
			 Canberra Australia 626,953 658,301 683,106 717,262 735,193 753,573 572,273 586,580 
			 Caracas Venezuela 283,181 297,340 244,939 257,186 263,616 270,206 239,416 (3) 
			 Colombo Sri Lanka 178,941 187,888 189,813 199,303 204,286 209,393 235,737 241,630 
			 Copenhagen Denmark 181,806 190,896 227,882 239,276 245,258 251,389 250,964 257,238 
			 Damascus Syria 186,906 196,251 221,892 232,986 238,811 244,781 201,688 206,730 
			 Dhaka Bangladesh (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 235,737 241,630 
			 Doha Qatar 209,145 219,602 236,936 248,783 255,002 261,378 237,372 243,306 
			 Dublin Irish Republic 177,349 186,216 221,239 232,301 238,108 244,061 302,758 310,327 
			 Freetown Sierra Leone 40,972 175,000 219,420 230,391 236,151 242,055 228,533 234,246 
			 Guatemala City Guatemala 175,587 184,366 248,116 260,522 267,035 273,710 385,289 (3) 
			 Harare Zimbabwe 178,498 187,423 207,815 218,206 223,661 229,253 303,579 311,168 
			 Helsinki Finland 207,844 218,236 228,121 239,527 245,515 251,653 261,280 267,812 
			 Islamabad Pakistan 359,497 377,472 447,857 470,250 482,006 494,056 511,127 523,905 
			 Jakarta Indonesia 233,195 244,855 211,035 221,586 227,126 232,804 292,955 300,279 
			 Kampala Uganda 173,364 182,032 217,646 228,529 234,242 240,098 241,298 247,330 
			 Kathmandu(2) Nepal 185,540 193,188 228,191 237,889 243,836 249,932 214,893 220,265 
			 Khartoum Sudan (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 280,416 287,426 
			 Kyiv Ukraine 297,983 312,882 400,506 420,532 431,045 441,821 412,478 422,790 
			 Kingston Jamaica 270,737 284,274 273,938 287,635 294,826 302,197 265,719 272,362 
			 Kinshasa D R Congo 24,560 175,000 213,815 224,506 230,118 235,871 317,747 325,691 
			 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 433,868 455,561 432,855 454,498 465,861 477,507 350,558 359,322 
			 Kuwait City Kuwait 183,948 193,145 259,257 272,220 279,025 286,001 217,231 222,662 
			 Lisbon Portugal 206,256 216,569 218,169 229,078 234,804 240,675 228,375 234,084 
			 Ljubljana Slovenia 108,967 114,415 187,836 197,228 202,158 207,212 8,749 (3) 
			 Luanda Angola (2) 213,000 247,640 260,022 266,523 273,186 2,592 (3) 
			 Madrid Spain 440,822 462,863 436,130 457,936 469,385 481,120 464,945 476,569 
			 Manila Philippines 175,321 184,087 229,939 241,436 247,472 253,659 259,532 266,020 
			 Mexico City Mexico 139,483 (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) 
			 Moscow Russia 1,083,882 1,138,076 1,391,127 1,460,684 1,497,201 1,534,631 1,515,168 1,553,047 
			 Muscat Oman 419,755 440,743 530,007 556,508 570,420 584,681 410,639 420,905 
			 Nairobi Kenya 234,453 246,176 225,371 236,639 242,555 248,619 271,064 277,841 
			 New Delhi India 523,478 549,652 546,489 573,814 588,159 602,863 670,420 687,181 
			 Nicosia Cyprus 164,787 173,026 192,453 202,075 207,127 212,305 221,578 227,117 
			 Oslo Norway 326,758 343,096 277,432 291,304 298,586 306,051 277,425 284,361 
			 Ottawa Canada 647,670 680,054 710,315 745,831 764,477 783,588 815,899 836,296 
			 Paris(2) France 957,228 1,004,242 1,038,243 1,089,266 1,116,498 1,144,410 1,154,068 1,182,919 
			 Peking China 518,015 543,916 573,869 602,563 617,627 633,068 674,372 691,231 
			 Prague Czech 178,249 187,161 319,558 335,536 343,925 352,523 313,924 321,772 
			 Pretoria South Africa 365,346 383,613 500,221 525,232 538,363 551,822 468,996 480,721 
			 Rabat Morocco 205,322 215,588 254,545 267,272 273,954 280,803 235,313 241,196 
			 Riga Latvia 179,916 188,912 239,349 251,317 257,600 264,040 68,608 (3) 
			 Riyadh Saudi Arabia 641,613 673,694 734,485 771,210 790,490 810,252 544,790 558,410 
			 Rome Italy 587,920 617,316 681,572 715,650 733,541 751,880 609,012 624,237 
			 Sana'a Yemen (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 119,094 122,071 
			 Santiago Chile 221,694 232,779 211,494 222,069 227,620 233,311 272,950 279,774 
			 Sarajevo Bosnia (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 173,063 177,390 
			 Seoul Korea 432,661 454,294 489,467 513,940 526,788 539,958 525,757 538,901 
			 Singapore(2) Singapore 468,843 490,171 410,111 428,396 439,106 450,083 413,728 481,563 
			 Skopje Macedonia 159,269 167,232 166,750 175,088 179,465 183,952 203,007 208,082 
			 Sofia Bulgaria 211,873 222,467 341,988 359,088 368,065 377,266 411,539 421,827 
			 Stockholm Sweden 268,112 281,518 216,108 226,914 232,586 238,401 244,880 251,002 
			 Tallinn Estonia (2) (2) 204,231 214,443 219,804 225,299 101,317 (3) 
			 Tashkent Uzbekistan (2) (2) 267,244 280,606 287,621 294,812 47,139 (3) 
			 Tbilisi Georgia 130,028 136,529 246,018 258,319 264,777 271,396 222,118 227,671 
			 Tel Aviv Israel 393,970 413,669 531,212 557,772 571,717 586,010 451,078 462,355 
			 The Hague Netherlands 314,374 330,093 309,323 324,790 332,909 341,232 481,676 493,718 
			 Tirana Albania 1,127 190,000 155,644 163,427 167,512 171,700 219,991 225,491 
			 Tokyo Japan 492,466 517,089 334,361 351,079 359,856 368,852 406,964 417,138 
			 Vienna Austria 255,226 267,987 320,292 336,307 344,715 353,332 321,096 329,123 
			 Vilnius Lithuania 15,958 189,000 165,516 173,792 178,137 182,590 232,973 238,797 
			 Warsaw Poland 351,595 369,175 447,302 469,667 481,409 493,444 441,306 452,339 
			 Wellington New Zealand 81,982 189,000 177,558 186,436 191,097 195,875 230,926 236,699 
			 Zagreb Croatia 155,625 163,406 194,215 203,926 209,024 214,250 254,499 260,861 
			 New York(3) USA   407,522 417,710 
			 Washington USA 887,279 910,151 1,024,892 1,055,439 1,177,608 1,390,170 1,479,383 1,572,000 
			 (1) From November 2006, previously Almaty (2) No Defence Section (3) Closed  Notes: 1.The Defence Section in Afghanistan opened in November 2007. There are no costs available from that date as the Defence Section is funded through Operational funds which cannot be disaggregated from the overall budget. 2. These costs include estimated costs for personnel funded by the single service funds which cannot be disaggregated from their overall budgets. 3. Costs are not available prior to financial year 2006-07. 4. All the costs in the table exclude pre-post preparation training costs that fall to the single service budgets; these are assessed to be in the order of 8.7 million at FY 2007-08 prices. 5. All the costs in the table are at their respective financial year prices. 6. The costs in paragraph 2 do not include the personnel funded by the single services, the pre-post preparation costs and the UKMIS New York costs. 
		
	
	Details of the cost of each Defence Section outside the UK in each year from 1997 to 2000 are not available by city and capital. The overall costs of all Defence Sections for Financial Year 1996-97 to Financial Year 1999-00 are as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 1996-97 22.471 
			 1997-98 22.071 
			 1998-99 23.202 
			 1999-2000 23.925

Military Bases

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made with  (a) the upgrade of RAF Northolt and  (b) the decommissioning of other sites;
	(2)  how far the London MoDEL project has progressed since it was commenced; what land has been earmarked to be sold under this project; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The upgrade of RAF Northolt and the decommissioning and sale of other sites forms part of Project MoDEL, which is making good progress.
	At Northolt, approximately half of the construction programme has been completed since contract award in August 2006. 11 new facilities have been delivered so far, including: four blocks of Single Living Accommodation (SLA)250 rooms in total; welfare facilities; office accommodation; a five-bay hangar; and the new British Forces Post Office (BFPO) facility. The new facilities, not least the SLA blocks, have improved the living and working conditions for personnel at RAF Northolt.
	So far as decommissioning and sales are concerned, six sites across the Greater London area have been designated surplus and are being released as part of Project MoDEL. Of these, RAF Eastcote and RAF West Ruislip have been sold for residential development, releasing funding for development of the Defence estate and other departmental priorities. The former BFPO site at Mill Hill and RAF Bentley Priory closed in January and May 2008 respectively. These two sites will be sold once planning submissions have been agreed by the local planning authorities.
	We are engaging closely with the local planning authority and a number of other organisations and stakeholders to secure the future of Bentley Priory's heritage. A way forward has been agreed and a planning application is currently with the London Borough of Harrow for approval.
	RAF Uxbridge and Victoria House, Woolwich, remain operational at present. At Uxbridge, our contractor is preparing a supplementary planning document for the site for submission to the London borough of Hillingdon, and at Victoria House a planning application for development of the site as a residential care home is currently with the London borough of Greenwich for approval.
	In addition, Chelsea Barracks was sold earlier this year.

Navy: Fuels

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has made to ensure the security of fuel supply to all Royal Navy vessels.

Bob Ainsworth: The security of fuel supply to Royal Naval vessels is maintained through the use of multiple supply sources, together with the maintenance of appropriate reserves, and by international agreements that allow access to partners' fuels stocks.

Navy: International Waters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Royal Navy has in the defence of  (a) trade and  (b) shipping in international waters; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Royal Navy maintains a constant presence in the Gulf, Arabian sea, Indian ocean, Mediterranean and Atlantic to ensure that the vital sea lanes and choke points along the maritime trade routes are preserved for free, safe and lawful use. This task is achieved in collaboration with other navies and coastguards through a series of coalition maritime operations and strategic alliances.
	The Royal Navy also works closely with other Government Departments on shipping protection issues and maintains a worldwide Maritime Trade Operations policy which is capable of providing a range of options to support British merchant shipping.

Nuclear Submarines

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the status of the ISOLUS programme is; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 14 July 2008
	Following the Government and Devolved Administrations' response to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management's report in October 2006, the ISOLUS project team has been able to take forward technical and siting issues in conjunction with the new stakeholder groups, which have been created. The results of a technical options study are due by the end of this year. The project procurement strategy is currently being developed within the context of the Defence Industrial Strategy. These work areas are interrelated and the output from each will be drawn together over the next year to inform a recommendation for the way ahead. The project remains committed to further public consultation before major decisions are made.

RAF Halton

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces officers have received initial specialist officer training for  (a) caterers and  (b) administrators at RAF Halton in each year since 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table gives the number of armed forces personnel who have received initial specialist officer training at RAF Halton in the categories requested. Information is available only from financial year 2003-04.
	
		
			   Officer specialisation 
			  Financial year  Catering  Administration 
			 2003-04 8 75 
			 2004-05 3 46 
			 2005-06 6 19 
			 2006-07 0 19 
			 2007-08 0 22

RAF Halton

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-commissioned officers have taken the  (a) junior management and leadership course,  (b) intermediate management and leadership course and  (c) advanced management and leadership course at RAF Halton in each year since 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table gives the number of non-commissioned officers who have taken courses at RAF Halton in the areas requested, from financial year 2003-04 to present.
	
		
			  Course  Financial year  Number of officers 
			 Junior management and leadership course (Junior - on promotion to corporal) 2003-04 1,565 
			  2004-05 2,035 
			  2005-06 1,201 
			  2006-07 1,210 
			  2007-08 1,182 
			 Intermediate management and leadership course (Intermediateon promotion to sergeant) 2003-04 974 
			  2004-05 1,521 
			  2005-06 903 
			  2006-07 812 
			  2007-08 875 
			 Advanced management and leadership course (Advancedon promotion to flight sergeant) 2003-04 273 
			  2004-05 475 
			  2005-06 279 
			  2006-07 256 
			  2007-08 253

RAF Halton

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow was of civilian staff at RAF Halton in each year since 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table gives the inflow and outflow of civilian staff at RAF Halton. This does not include personnel who have transferred within the MOD to or from posts at RAF Halton. The information is only available from financial year 2004-05. Earlier dates could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  In  Out 
			 2004-05 28 18 
			 2005-06 20 42 
			 2006-07 17 31 
			 2007-08 13 25

RAF Halton

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow was of armed forces personnel at RAF Halton in each year since 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table gives the inflow and outflow of the armed forces personnel at RAF Halton.
	
		
			  Financial year  Inflow  Outflow 
			 2006-07 240 204 
			 2007-08 213 160 
		
	
	Data before 1 April 2006 are not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

RAF Halton

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) RAF personnel have received training at RAF Halton in each year since 1998.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

RAF St. Athan

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence training personnel have been consulted on proposals for relocation to St. Athan; what the outcome of such consultation has been; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Training Review (DTR) Package 1 Integrated Project Team (IPT) has from the outset routinely consulted the trade unions representing all the civilian employees potentially affected by the proposals stemming from the project. Such meetings, which now include representatives of the Metrix Consortium, take place every three months and provide an informal opportunity to update trade union representatives on project progress and address concerns and questions. Where required, the obligations under TUPE (2006) Regulations have been met through more formal consultation and exchanges of information. The approach taken has been as open as commercial considerations allow and has been cited by the trade unions as best practice. The MOD remains committed to continue the consultative process as the project proceeds. Consultation at MOD level is also matched by meetings and briefings that take place within DTR colleges.

RAF St. Athan

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what ways his Department plans to participate in the public consultation proposals for a defence and training academy at St. Athan.

Bob Ainsworth: Following selection by the Ministry of Defence as preferred bidder for provision of the Defence Technical Academy at St. Athan, the Metrix Consortium is preparing to submit planning applications to the Vale of Glamorgan council. As part of their preparations, Metrix have instigated a public consultation process, the first stage of which will be a series of public exhibitions in the week of 14 July. This aims to ensure that local stakeholders and members of the public can view and discuss the proposed plans. A public website will be made available, letters will be sent to key stakeholders and advertisements will be placed in the local press. The Ministry of Defence will be supporting Metrix in this process, in particular by providing advice and guidance on both their proposals and approach to public consultation and by making available representatives who can respond to any questions arising. The MOD and Metrix are committed to this programme of consultation and communication with the local community.

Submarines: Manpower

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to increase the number of suitably qualified submarine warfare officers and ratings in naval service.

Derek Twigg: Addressing manning shortfalls within the Submarine Service is a key personnel priority. The entire Submarine Service recruiting process has been re-invigorated and its profile raised. Additional people are now in the training pipeline. Work continues to promote recruiting from General Service for both officers, from suitable junior and senior rates, and ratings. Retention measures are being exploited and financial packages updated. These include:
	7,500 Submarine 'Golden Hello' for transferees from the General Service;
	5,500 commitment bonus for specific submarine branches at the five year point;
	1,000 'recruit an oppo' bounty for individuals who recruit someone to specific submarine branches;
	5,000 submarine 'Golden Hello' for new recruits when they complete their training and are awarded their Dolphins.
	25,000 submarine warfare officer financial retention initiative which is payable on qualifying as a Watchleader.

Swiftsure Class Submarines

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) unit cost and  (b) date of commissioning of each Swiftsure Class submarine was.

Bob Ainsworth: The Swiftsure Class of six submarines were commissioned at regular intervals between 1972 and 1981 and the commissioning date for each boat is listed as follows. Due to the long period of time that has since elapsed, the unit cost of these submarines is no longer held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Swiftsure class  Commissioning dates 
			 HMS Swiftsure 17 April 1973 
			 HMS Sovereign 11 July 1974 
			 HMS Superb 13 November 1976 
			 HMS Sceptre 14 February 1978 
			 HMS Spartan 22 September 1979 
			 HMS Splendid 21 March 1981

Type 42 Destroyers

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's plans are for the decommissioning of Type 42 destroyers.

Bob Ainsworth: Our present planning assumptions, which are kept under review, are that the Type 42 destroyers will be withdrawn from service on the following dates:
	
		
			  Type 42 destroyers 
			   Withdrawal date 
			 HMS Southampton 2009 
			 HMS Exeter 2009 
			 HMS Nottingham 2010 
			 HMS Manchester 2011 
			 HMS Gloucester 2011 
			 HMS Liverpool 2012 
			 HMS York 2012 
			 HMS Edinburgh 2013

Type 42 Destroyers

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to maintain a number of Type 42 destroyers in active service following the commissioning of Type 45s.

Bob Ainsworth: The Type 42 destroyers will be withdrawn gradually as the Type 45s enter service to replace them. On present plans, which are kept under review, all Type 42s will have been withdrawn by the time the sixth Type 45 enters service.

USA: Ministry of Defence Guarding and Police Agency

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 3 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1628W, on Ministry of Defence Guarding and Police Agency: USA, when he expects the revised Memorandum of Agreement between the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency and the US Visiting Forces to be finalised.

Bob Ainsworth: The revised Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency and the US authorities was signed on 20 May 2008. It will come into effect on 1 October 2008.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa: Energy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects of rising energy prices in Africa.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) is taking a close interest in the effects of rising oil prices in sub-Saharan Africa, drawing on reports by the OECD and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as our own assessments. The dollar price of crude oil has doubled over the past two years. The economic impacts in Africa vary from country to country, with oil producers generally gaining through increased foreign earnings.
	Non-oil producers have experienced reductions in economic growth. According to the IMF, an increase in the real price of crude oil from $75 to $100 from October 2007 to April 2008 has reduced economic growth by between 0.2 and 1.0 per cent. For some countries, the impacts of high oil prices has been partly offset by higher prices earned from other exported commodities. For all countries, there have been increases in the consumer price of oil products, such as petrol and kerosene.

Africa: Fisheries

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department provides to African countries to help them protect their waters from illegal fishing; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has funded research which showed that illegal fishing costs the global economy some $23 billion per year. This includes around $1 billion in sub-Saharan Africa, representing a quarter of the total value of legitimate African fish exports. DFID has contributed some 700,000 to increase awareness of illegal fishing in southern Africa. This culminated in the Southern Africa Development Commission (SADC) Ministerial Conference on Illegal Fishing held in Namibia on 4 July (2008), at which urgent measures to tackle illegal fishing were discussed and agreed; these included improving sharing regional intelligence, improving fisheries governance and to encourage market measures that keep illegal produce out of supply chains. Subject to design and appraisal, DFID has allocated 6 million over six years to take this forward under an international partnership for African fisheries governance and trade. Partner donors are likely to include Norway, Germany, the World Bank and the European Commission.
	DFID is also providing financial support for the operations of the joint maritime authority in Sierra Leone, which is tackling illegal fishing in that country.

Bangladesh: Storms

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK relief and reconstruction aid in Bangladesh following the November 2007 cyclone.

Shahid Malik: Following the 2007 cyclone in Bangladesh, the UK has contributed just over 15 million in relief and reconstruction aid. This has so far helped more than 2.8 million people in Bangladesh affected by the cyclone, and over the past eight months, has resulted in the following:
	812,268 people benefited from receiving basic life saving survival packages;
	66,375 people have received shelter assistance in the form of repairs or new constructions;
	416,332 people have received livelihoods recovery and restoration support to help them generate incomes again;
	1,293,650 people have received access to improved water services;
	233,240 people have received access to sanitation, particularly women.
	We are currently planning for a full independent evaluation to take place in October to look at the effectiveness of our relief and reconstruction funding for both the 2007 cyclone and floods in Bangladesh, as well as providing lessons to take forward for future emergency responses.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department have been  (a) dismissed and  (b) disciplined for their conduct in the last two years.

Gillian Merron: In the last two years, the number of staff within the Department for International Development who have been:
	 (a) dismissed due to conduct: 5
	 (b) disciplined due to conduct: 17

Departmental Early Retirement

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department have taken early retirement in the last two years.

Gillian Merron: 135 Department for International Development (DFID) staff have taken early retirement during the period 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2008.

Languages

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department took second language training in each of the last five years; and what the five languages in which such training was most frequently undertaken were.

Gillian Merron: Requirements for language training are assessed by each overseas office and based upon business priorities. As such the Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold central records on language training but according to our main external language training provider 130 staff have received training in the last 18 months. This is equivalent to 35 per cent. of home civil service staff posted overseas at any given time. The top five languages in which training was most frequently undertaken wereFrench, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and Russian.

Pakistan: Earthquakes

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in the UK relief and reconstruction effort in areas affected by the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) provided 53 million of emergency relief (food and shelter) over six months to help the 3.5 million people affected by the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.
	Since then, we have been working closely with the Government of Pakistan to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation process. This assistance, totalling 51 million to date, has helped construct 250,000 houses using seismic resistant techniques. It will also fund the construction of 50 new seismic resistant bridges to further help those communities cut off by the earthquake and to improve road access in many remote areas. In partnership with the UN we have also funded almost 900 fully equipped prefabricated offices to get local government back to work while permanent buildings are repaired. Other future work planned includes rebuilding of schools and other education institutions, almost 6,300 of which were damaged by the earthquake.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Conferences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will list the conferences hosted by the Government Equalities Office in each of the last two years; and what the cost was of each conference.

Barbara Follett: Since the Government Equalities Office (GEO) was established in October 2007, it has hosted the following conferences:
	
		
			  Events as part of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All 2007 
			GEO contribution () 
			 Focus on Youth Seminar 22 October 2007 9,985 
			 Local Government Association Seminar 1 November 2007 17,111 
			 Voluntary and Community Sector Seminar 15 November 2007 22,549 
			 Women and Men working together to achieve Gender Equality Event 3 December 2007 12,990 
			 Age EqualityIts Our Right Event 7 December 2007 11,624 
			 UK Celebration EYEOA Closing Event (HoC) 13 December 2007 12,668 
			 Total  86,927

Domestic Violence: Victim Support Schemes

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what funding her Department has allocated to charities which provide specialist support to women who have been affected by domestic violence over the next three years.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office (GEO), has a strategic and influencing role within Government to address the disadvantage that individuals experience because of their gender; race; disability; age; sexual orientation; religion or belief. It is managing a cross-Government emergency fund aimed at keeping a number of rape crisis centres open. However, GEO does not typically allocate funding to charities which provide specialist support services to those experiencing disadvantage and has no plans to do so for charities supporting women affected by domestic violence.
	The responsibility for funding decisions about local level, including the provision of specialist support to women who have been affected by domestic violence, rests with local authorities. GEO will continue to work in partnership with the Women's National Commission, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and other Government Departments to keep a close watch on the way in which local areas prioritise funding for domestic violence services.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much money has been collected by the Child Support Agency from non-resident parents in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997;
	(2)  in respect of how many children child maintenance payments were made in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 15 July 2008:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	and
	For how many children child maintenance payments were made in (a) Jarrow constituency (b) South Tyneside (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.
	Such information as is available is presented in the attached table, which shows both the amount of money collected or arranged and the number of children benefiting from child maintenance since 1997.
	Since the introduction of the Operational Improvement Plan two years ago, the number of children benefiting from maintenance has risen by around 126,000 to over 749,000 children. The Agency also collected or arranged a record breaking 1bn in maintenance in the twelve months to March 2008.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Maintenance Collected or Arranged and Children benefiting from maintenance: 1997  to  2008 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  Great Britain 
			   Money (000)  Children  Money (000)  Children  Money (000)  Children  Money (000)  Children 
			 1996/97 786 500 1,479 900 21,000 19,200 213,000 324,700 
			 1997/98 817 600 1,753 1,200 25,000 24,200 306,000 394,700 
			 1998/99 1,150 900 2,143 1,500 32,000 30,100 393,000 470,900 
			 1999/2000 1,416 1,100 2,469 1,900 38,000 34,400 461,000 534,100 
			 2000/01 1,490 600 2,623 1,500 43,000 35,300 503,000 543,300 
			 2001/02 1,441 900 2,731 2,000 45,000 36,500 528,000 546,800 
			 2002/03 1,482 700 2,783 2,000 47,000 34,500 573,000 548,100 
			 2003/04 1,439 900 2,505 2,100 41,000 31,900 797,000 537,500 
			 2004/05 1,338 1,000 2,540 2,200 42,000 34,600 798,000 561,100 
			 2005/06 1,302 1,000 2,569 2,400 44,000 36,500 836,000 623,000 
			 2006/07 1,318 1,000 2,524 2,400 45,000 38,900 898,000 (1)683,300 
			 2007/08 1,536 1,400 3,356 2,800 51,000 43,000 1,010,000 (1)749,300 
			 (1) Children figures for Great Britain include receipts on cases progressed clerically for 2006/07 and 2007/08 and do not include performance of cases held clerically by Parliamentary Constituency, Local Authority or region.  Notes: 1. Figures on money are received via the collection service as well as maintenance arranged via maintenance direct agreements. Figures for Great Britain are sourced from General Ledger and figures for Jarrow, South Tyneside and the North East sourced from Management information. 2. Figures on money for Great Britain include receipts on cases progressed clerically. Figures do not include performance of cases held clerically by Parliamentary Constituency, Local Authority or Region. 3. All Great Britain figures on money are for the relevant financial year. Figures for Jarrow, South Tyneside and the North East up to and including 2002/03 are for the 12 months up to February. For 2003/04 onwards, all information is for full financial years. 4. Money collected and arranged has been allocated to Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency, South Tyneside Local Authority and the North East by matching the postcode of the non resident parent against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory. 5. Figures on money rounded to the nearest 1,000 for Jarrow and South Tyneside and 1m for North East and Great Britain and children rounded to the nearest 100. 6. Children benefiting are allocated to Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency, South Tyneside Local Authority and the North East by matching the postcode of the parent with care against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory. Some movements in the caseload may be down to changes in the postcode directory over time. The reduction in children benefiting between February 2000 and February 2001 in Jarrow is largely due to changes in the postcode directory at this time and is not a real reduction.

Employment: Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of all Government employment programmes, excluding Remploy, in each year for which information is available since 1997.

Stephen Timms: There are a range of employment programmes that ensure that people get the support that they need to move back into work.
	The new deal embodied the idea that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. In return for the extra support and opportunities provided, young people were expected to take up jobs and training or see their benefits cut. As we saw this approach working, we extended it to other groups. Together with a stable economy, this has helped take a million people off key out-of-work benefits and cut claimant unemployment by 50 per cent. The latest figures show that the number of people on jobseeker's allowance is 819.3 thousand. This is down 58.1 thousand on the year, and down 800.3 thousand since 1997. The result is we are spending over 5 billion less on key out-of-work benefits.
	At the same time, we have increased employment support by 800 million and been able to increase help to those who simply cannot work. This is good for the individual and for our society as a whole. All the evidence shows that work is the best route out of poverty and that by helping people into work, we make sure our economy benefits from making better use of individuals' talent while cutting the welfare bill.
	Information about the cost of employment programmes is in the following table.
	
		
			  Employment programmes excluding Remploy 
			million 
			 1997-98 200 
			 1998-99 322 
			 1999-2000 531 
			 2000-01 557 
			 2001-02 791 
			 2002-03 805 
			 2003-04 919 
			 2004-05 1,044 
			 2005-06 973 
			 2006-07 865 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are in nominal terms. 2. Programmes included are: Employment Zones; Working Neighbourhoods Pilot; External Action Teams; Princes Youth Business Trust; Work Based Learning for Adults; European Social Fund; Jobsearch Provision; Incapacity Benefit Reforms; Ambition; Adviser Discretion Fund; Internal Action Teams; Ethnic Minorities Pilot; New Deals; Work Step; Access to Work; Residential Training Centres; Work Preparation. 3. Not all programmes ran in each year. 4. Information about programme expenditure for Employment Zones, The Prince's Trust, and Working Neighbourhoods is not available prior to 2004-05, and is not included in the figures for earlier years. 5. The figures do not include administration expenditure.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, and Employment Service annual reports.

Income Support: Lone Parents

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of lone parent families that will be affected by the changes to the eligibility criteria for income support taking effect in October 2010 will have  (a) one child,  (b) two children and  (c) three or more children aged between seven and 16 on that date; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of lone parent families that will be affected by the changes to the eligibility criteria for income support taking effect in October 2009 will have  (a) one child,  (b) two children and  (c) three or more children aged between 10 and 16 on that date; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of the lone parent families that will be affected by the changes to the eligibility criteria for income support taking effect in October 2008 will have  (a) one child,  (b) two children and  (c) three or more children aged between 12 and 16 years on that date; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.
	Information is available on the number of lone parents receiving income support at August 2007 who had a youngest child aged between seven and 16, 10 and 16, and 12 and 16 by number of children in those age bands at that date.
	That information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of IS lone parents at August 2007 
			   All  Percentage 
			  Whose youngest child is aged 12 to 16   
			 All 106,700  
			 One child aged 12 to 16 76,300 71.5 
			 Two children aged 12 to 16 26,600 24.9 
			 Three or more children aged 12 to 16 3,800 3.6 
			
			  Whose youngest child is aged 10 to 16   
			 All 169,400  
			 One child aged 10 to 16 107,400 63.4 
			 Two children aged 10 to 16 50,000 29.5 
			 Three or more children aged 10 to 16 12,100 7.1 
			
			  Whose youngest child is aged seven to 16   
			 All 287,800  
			 One child aged seven to 16 157,000 54.5 
			 Two children aged seven to 16 93,900 32.6 
			 Three or more children aged 7 to 16 36,900 12.8 
			  Note: 5 per cent. sample figures are uprated to 100 per cent. WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample

Income Support: Lone Parents

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his latest estimates are of the number of lone parent families in each region that will be affected by the changes to the eligibility criteria for income support taking effect in  (a) October 2009 and  (b) October 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his latest estimates are of the number of lone parent families in each region that will be affected by the changes to the eligibility criteria for income support taking effect in October 2008; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.
	Information is available on the number of lone parents receiving income support at November 2007 who had a youngest child aged seven, 10 or 12 or over at that date by region.
	That information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of income support lone parents at November 2007, by age of youngest child 
			  Government Office Region  12 or over  10 and over  7 and over 
			 North East 5,020 8,100 13,490 
			 North West 13,010 21,200 35,770 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 8,280 13,530 22,480 
			 East Midlands 6,100 9,910 16,860 
			 West Midlands 9,780 15,990 26,920 
			 East of England 7,630 12,720 21,760 
			 London 22,430 36,740 62,570 
			 South East 10,190 16,920 29,040 
			 South West 6,260 10,330 17,540 
			 Wales 4,900 8,130 13,920 
			 Scotland 8,730 14,400 24,090 
			 Claimants living abroad/Unknown 0 0 10 
			  Note:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. WPLS.

Jobcentre Plus: Breast Feeding

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government's policy is on breastfeeding by clients in Jobcentre Plus offices; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question asking about the policy on breastfeeding by clients in Jobcentre Plus offices. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus has no specific policy on mothers breastfeeding in our offices. Our managers adopt a flexible approach, which will often depend on the particular circumstances of the office. In some offices, this can include, for example, the provision of a suitable area.
	I hope this is helpful.

National Insurance: Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1289W, on national insurance: immigrants, how many individuals were on the list of those whose licences had been revoked supplied by the Security Industry Authority to his Department; and when his Department began checking the national insurance numbers and national insurance status of the illegal workers.

Stephen Timms: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) provided the Department for Work and Pensions with a list of 7,266 individuals on 7 March 2008, and a further 920 individuals on 16 April 2008. This total of 8,186 names included cases where licences had already been revoked and all cases where appeals were pending at the time and where revocation remained a possibility. Work on checking the cases commenced on the 10 March 2008 and has only recently been completed.
	Analysis of the details provided by the SIA shows that a total of 294 national insurance numbers were issued following the introduction of the right to work test in July 2006. Detailed checks have confirmed that 269 of these did have the right to work at the time the NINO was issued. The right to work had subsequently expired which is why they were found to be working illegally by the SIA. A balance of 25 cases were found not to have had the right to work and to have been issued with a NINO incorrectly. However, this was due to a temporary misunderstanding by staff about students having an automatic right to work which was quickly rectified.
	The remaining 7,892 cases were either issued before the right to work test was introduced (4,617 or about 58.5 per cent. of the 7,892) or are cases where the names or NINOs given to the SIA appear to be false (3,275 or about 41.5 per cent.). Further examination into cases where false names or NINOs appear to have been provided has been initiated where appropriate.

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the average amount unclaimed by single pensioners of each sex aged 85 years or over entitled to but not claiming  (a) guarantee credit and council tax benefit,  (b) guarantee credit and housing benefit or local housing allowance and  (c) guarantee credit, housing benefit or local housing allowance and council tax benefit in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the average amount unclaimed by pensioner couples where one or both were aged 85 years or over, who were entitled to but not claiming  (a) guarantee credit and council tax benefit,  (b) guarantee credit and housing benefit/local housing allowance and  (c) guarantee credit, housing benefit/local housing allowance and council tax benefit in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimates his Department has made of the average amount unclaimed by single pensioners aged 60 to 75 years or over who were entitled to but not claiming  (a) guarantee credit and council tax benefit,  (b) guarantee credit and housing benefit/local housing allowance and  (c) guarantee credit, housing benefit/local housing allowance and council tax benefit, broken down by sex, in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what estimates the Department has made of the average amount unclaimed by pensioner couples, where one or both are aged 60 to 75 years old, who are entitled to, but not claiming  (a) guarantee credit and council tax benefit,  (b) guarantee credit and housing benefit/local housing allowance and  (c) guarantee credit, housing benefit/local housing allowance and council tax benefit in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what recent estimates the Department has made of the average amount unclaimed by pensioner couples, where one or both are aged 75 to 85 years old, who are entitled to but not claiming  (a) guarantee credit and council tax benefit,  (b) guarantee credit and housing benefit/local housing allowance and  (c) guarantee credit, housing benefit/local housing allowance and council tax benefit in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Estimates of the average unclaimed weekly amounts of means-tested benefits in Great Britain, covering income support, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income based) are published in the report 'Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2006-07'.
	The following table presents average unclaimed weekly amounts of guarantee credit and council tax benefit among pensioners who are entitled to but not receiving both benefits. The amounts are presented for the different family types identified in the question and for each complete financial year since the introduction of pension credit. The amounts for each year are presented in the prices for that year and are rounded to the nearest 10 pence. These estimates are based on survey data and so will be subject to some sampling variation.
	Sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for the groups identified in the other parts of the question. We are therefore unable to provide estimates for those entitled to but not claiming guarantee credit and housing benefit as identified in part  (b) of each question. Similarly we cannot provide estimates for those entitled to but not claiming guarantee credit and housing benefit and council tax benefit as identified in part  (c) each time.
	
		
			  Average weekly unclaimed amount of GC and CTB 
			   
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Single male pensioners aged 85 or over (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Single female pensioners aged 85 or over (1) 45.20 50.50 47.40 
			 Pensioner couples where one or more is aged 85 or over (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Single male pensioners aged 75 to 84 (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 Single female pensioners aged 75 to 84 44.80 40.30 42.40 47.90 
			 Pensioner couples where one or more is aged 75 to 84 (1) 54.50 51.70 55.90 
			 Single male pensioners aged 60 to 74 (1) 59.00 63.60 67.20 
			 Single female pensioners aged 60 to 74 37.10 41.20 53.00 52.10 
			 Pensioner couples where one or more is aged 60 to 74 58.00 63.80 71.40 72.60 
			 (1) Sample sizes for the group in question are too small to yield reliable results.  Note: Some couples are included in more than one of the specified family types. For example where a 61-year-old is married to a 76-year-old, this couple is counted both as a 'couple where one more is aged 60 to 74' and as a 'couple where one or more is aged 75 to 84'.

Social Security Benefits

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of employment and support allowance claimants who will receive  (a) pensioner premium,  (b) severe disability premium,  (c) enhanced disability premium and  (d) carer premium in each of the next five years.

Stephen Timms: We expect there will be similar proportions in receipt of the severe disability premium, carer's premium and pensioner premiums under employment and support allowance, as there are for the current incapacity benefits stock. The number of people eligible for the enhanced disability premium will increase under employment and support allowance, due to the automatic passport to the premium for those in the support group. This ensures that everyone in the group receiving income-related employment and support allowance will receive the enhanced disability premium.
	The following table provides estimates for those receiving the premiums under incapacity benefits without the introduction of employment and support allowance and this is broadly similar to the combined incapacity benefits and employment and support allowance totals. However, the exception is the number of people in receipt of the enhanced disability premium, which is expected to rise by over 100,000 in the long-run, over and above the figures presented as follows.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefitsadditional premiums paid through income support: Estimated benefit case loads 
			   2007-08 estimated outturn  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Enhanced disability premium 160,000 165,000 170,000 175,000 
			 Severe disability premium 220,000 225,000 230,000 240,000 
			 Carer's premium 95,000 100,000 100,000 105,000 
			 Pensioner premium 
			 '' Indicates figures are negligible.  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5,000. 2. Figures are based on information underlying benefit expenditure tables published on the DWP website. The tables are accessible via the following link: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp

Social Security Benefits: Manpower

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed in each benefit delivery centre in each month since they were established; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 15 July 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many staff were employed in each benefit delivery centre in each month since they were established. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Centralisation of benefit payments in the Benefit Delivery Centres commenced in April 2006 and was completed by March 2008. The number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) employed each month in Benefit Delivery Centres within the period April 2006 to May 2008 is attached as an Annex to this letter. Copies have also been placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Overpayments

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  in how many cases debt collectors visited individuals to reclaim overpayments of benefits following the death of a claimant in each year since 1997 for which information is available;
	(2)  what contractual arrangements his Department has with companies for the recovery of overpayment of benefits where the claimant has died.

James Plaskitt: The Department does employ debt collectors to recover overpayments of benefits where the debtor cannot be traced or is refusing to pay. However, it is not departmental policy to use debt collectors to reclaim overpayments following death of a claimant.

Social Security Benefits: Telephone Services

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls were made to each benefit delivery centre in each month since they were established; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 15 July 2008:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many calls were made to each benefit delivery centre in each month since they were established. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Benefit Centralisation was completed in March 2008 and comparable information is available from November 2007. On average we answer 700,000 calls per week in 80 Benefit Delivery Centres.
	The available information is attached and has also been placed in the House of Commons library.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Teenage Pregnancy

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many births were recorded to mothers under 16 years of age in  (a) England,  (b) Wales,  (c) Scotland and  (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 15 July 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question about the number of births recorded to mothers under 16 years of age in (a) England (b) Wales (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. (218736)
	The latest year for which figures from birth registration are available is 2007. The table below shows the number of births to mothers aged 15 or below in each of the four constituent countries of the UK from 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			  Live births to women aged under 16( 1)  in England, Wales( 2) , Scotland and Northern Ireland( 3,4) , 1997  to 2 007 
			   Number of live births 
			   England  Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland 
			 1997 1,477 124 178 39 
			 1998 1,429 113 137 56 
			 1999 1,372 99 142 63 
			 2000 1,376 106 136 58 
			 2001 1,340 93 132 41 
			 2002 1,254 97 110 36 
			 2003 1,177 69 105 33 
			 2004 1,155 67 96 39 
			 2005 1,102 87 104 35 
			 2006 1,154 79 110 35 
			 2007(5) 1,064 75 107 36 
			 (1) Age refers to mother's age at the time of the birth. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, age of mother is imputed where it is not stated at birth registration. Figures for Scotland exclude births where age of mother is not stated at registration. (2) Live births registered within England and Wales are assigned to England or Wales based on the usual residence of the mother at the time of the birthbirths are excluded if the usual residence is outside England and Wales. (3) Figures for Northern Ireland exclude births to mothers not usually resident in Northern Ireland at the time of the birth. Figures for Scotland include births to mothers not usually resident in Scotland at the time of the birth. (4) For Northern Ireland and Scotland, figures relate to the number of live births registered in a calendar year. For England and Wales, figures relate to the number of live births occurring in each calendar year. (5) The first release of live birth figures for 2007 for England and for Wales occurred on 10 July 2008. Figures for 2007 for Scotland and for Northern Ireland are provisional.  Source: Office for National Statistics, General Register Office for Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to require abortion clinics to inform women seeking an abortion about alternatives to abortion; what guidance he has  (a) issued and  (b) plans to issue on this matter; what recent representations he has received (i) supporting and (ii) opposing the issuing of such guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The following guidance recommends that women should be provided with information on alternatives to abortion:
	Procedures for the approval of independent sector places for the termination of pregnancy, Department of Health, 1999;
	Independent Health Care National Minimum Standards, Department of Health, 2002;
	Effective Commissioning of Sexual health and HIV Services, A Sexual Health and HIV Commissioning Toolkit for primary care trusts and local authorities, Department of Health, 2003;
	The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion, Evidence-based Clinical Guideline Number 7, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 2004; and
	Recommended standards for sexual health services, Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health, 2005.
	Further guidance will be included in the forthcoming Department of Health document Good Practice Guidance for the Commissioning of Contraception and Abortion Services due to be published later this year.
	As such, we have no plans to bring forward proposals to require abortion clinics to inform women seeking an abortion about alternatives to abortion.
	The Department has received around 200 letters on abortion during 2008. We are unable to break this down in the format requested.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged under 18 have been admitted to hospitals in England and Wales with illnesses associated with the consumption of alcohol in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 8 January 2008,  Official Report, column 461W.

Brain Cancer

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding the National Cancer Research Institute has provided for  (a) brain tumour research and  (b) other cancer-related research (i) in cash terms and (ii) as a proportion of its expenditure in each of the last 10 years. [R]

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 9 July 2008
	 The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) was formed on 1 April 2001. The NCRI brings together the major funders (including government, the voluntary sector and industry) together with cancer patient representatives, to ensure a national strategic approach on cancer research. The information shown in the following table relates to research directly funded by NCRI partners.
	
		
			   million 
			   Brain and central nervous system (CNS) expenditure  Total site-specific expenditure (and brain and CNS expenditure as a percentage of that total)  Total expenditure (and brain and CNS expenditure as a percentage of that total) 
			 2002 1.6 104 (1.6) 258 (0.6) 
			 2003 1.9 121 (1.6) 284 (0.7) 
			 2004 1.8 114 (1.6) 304 (0.6) 
			 2005 2.5 128 (1.9) 348 (0.7) 
			 2006 3.1 159 (1.9) 393 (0.8)

Cannabis: Nicotine

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned or evaluated on the physical and psychological effects of  (a) using cannabis and nicotine together and  (b) using each substance individually.

Dawn Primarolo: At the request of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, the Government's advisory committee on drugs, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), recently carried out a substantial review of the harms associated with cannabis use, including the physical and psychological effects of cannabis.
	The report, 'Cannabis: Classification and Public Health (2008)', was published in May 2008 and copies have already been placed in the Library and are also available on the Home Office's website at:
	http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/publication-search/acmd/acmd-cannabis-report-2008
	Recently, the Department commissioned a systematic review of studies in this area. The peer-reviewed results of this review were published in  The Lancet in July 2007 and confirmed the increased evidence of an association, possibly causal, between prior cannabis use and later development of psychosis and schizophrenia with a 40 per cent. increase in risk reported (up to 200 per cent. increase for at-risk heavy users).
	The Department has also commissioned research into the harmful components of cannabis and tobacco smoke. This work is well advanced and a publication date will be set in due course.
	The Department keeps the evidence of the physical and psychological effects of cannabis under review and has commissioned the National Addiction Centre to review the evidence of harms for the Department's publication, 'Dangerousness of Drugs (2001)', copies of which have already been placed in the Library. The Department has identified funding for the review to be updated later this year.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of dentists required in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland constituency to meet demand for NHS dental care.

Ann Keen: Decisions on the provision of dental services are left to local national health service organisations, who are best placed to judge the requirements of the communities they serve.

Dental Services: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many Copeland residents access NHS dental treatment outside Copeland;
	(2)  how many dental practices in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland constituency have stopped accepting NHS patients in the last 12 months;
	(3)  how many dental practices in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland constituency are accepting new NHS patients.

Ann Keen: The requested information is not collected centrally. However, my hon. Friend may wish to approach the chief executive of Cumbria primary care trust, which might hold some of the information that has been requested.

Dentistry: Carlisle

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the first cohort of new dentists will qualify from the new dental school in Carlisle;
	(2)  how many students are expected to qualify as dentists from the new dental school in Carlisle each year.

Ann Keen: The new dental school at the University of Central Lancashire has four dental education centres at Accrington, Blackpool, Carlisle and Morecambe Bay where students are trained in clinical dentistry. The school admitted its first cohort of 32 students, eight of whom will be placed in Carlisle, in autumn 2007. The first students to graduate from this cohort will qualify as dentists in the summer of 2011.

Departmental Early Retirement

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's agencies have taken early retirement in the last two years.

Ben Bradshaw: The numbers of staff who have taken early retirement in the last two years are presented in the following table:
	
		
			   2007-08  2006-07 
			 Departmental staff 75 21 
			 Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency 0 2 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency 1 1

Departmental ICT

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of his Department's staff have access to the Department's IT infrastructure at home.

Ben Bradshaw: At the 30 June 2008, there were 2,082 information technology (IT) accounts which had remote access to the Department's IT infrastructure. This included departmental staff and other authorised workers such as seconded and contract staff. Staff can connect securely from practically any location with access to a telephone or broadband line including their home address. If a mobile telephone network card has been supplied, connection is possible from anywhere with a general packet radio service or 3G signal. To establish how many accounts are solely for departmental staff or how many staff actually access the Department's IT infrastructure from their homes, will not be possible without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of staff of his Department and its agencies did not receive the maximum bonus possible under a bonus scheme applying to them in the last two years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department and its agencies have two sets of arrangements under which bonuses can be awarded. For senior civil servants (SCSs), pay arrangements are common across all Government Departments. The Department's senior pay strategy, which conforms to these common arrangements, explains that bonuses may be awarded for delivery of personal objectives or other short-term personal contributions to wider organisational objectives. Individuals are required to agree their priorities with their manager at the beginning of the performance year. Line managers then make recommendations for performance bonuses which are considered by the Department's pay committees at the end of the performance year. The pay committees, which meet annually, make the final decision on whether a bonus should be awarded, relative to the performance of others. In 2006 and 2007, 85 per cent. of SCSs in the Department and its agencies did not receive the maximum bonus possible under the scheme. Bonuses for 2008 have yet to be decided.
	For staff below the SCS, the Department and its agencies operate a special bonus scheme whereby managers may award a bonus to recognise an outstanding contribution in a particularly demanding situation. This can include a temporary and substantial increase in job loading, dealing with pressures arising from temporary vacancies or job requirements, a high level of commitment and resolution to get a job done, difficulties requiring a special effort to overcome, or a contribution over and above what would normally be expected for the job and of the person, or team, concerned. Bonuses are generally small in value, but there is no specified maximum size of award. As a result, it is not possible to answer the question for this scheme.

Departmental Planning Permission

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) planning applications and  (b) licensing applications his Department has submitted in the last 24 months.

Ben Bradshaw: Only one planning application has been made on behalf of the Secretary of State within the last 24 months. This was for 10 flats on a site at Woodside car park, Plymouth.
	No licensing applications have been made.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to page 148 of his Department's Annual Report 2008, if he will provide a full breakdown of the  (a) central Strategic Health Authority allocations,  (b) Department of Health administration and  (c) other revenue budgets, noting for each how much money has not yet been allocated;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1672W, on departmental public expenditure, if he will provide a break down of the allocations to central budget holders made on 17 March.

Ben Bradshaw: The breakdown of budgets are given in the following tables:
	Table one: Central strategic health authority (SHA) allocations;
	Table two: Departmental administration; and
	Table three: Other revenue budgets.
	All budgets were issued to budget holders by the start of this financial year.
	
		
			  Table  1 : Central SHA allocations 
			  Budget  title  Budget ( million) 
			 Revenue support 218 
			 Clinical Excellence Awards 202 
			 Prison healthcare payments to Home Office 196 
			 NHS Directnon contestable core services 139 
			 newGeneral Medical Services (nGMS) Contract fees for Dispensing Doctors 84 
			 Independent sector treatment centres 78 
			 Securing Recombinant Clotting Factors 46 
			 Dangerous People with Severe Personality Disorders 40 
			 SHA Strategic Development Fund (Was Modernisation Agency Corporate Programme) 39 
			 National Cancer Screening ManagementFurther Funding of 39.971 million in Departmental Central Budget to be transferred to York 32 
			 Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) 28 
			 Community and Prison Drug Treatment 23 
			 SHA Strategic Development Fund (was Modernisation Agency Corporate Programme) 22 
			 Heart Improvement 18 
			 Personal Medical Services (PMEDs): Personal Admin Costs for Non Dispensing Doctors 17 
			 National Screening ProgrammesPilots and Quality Management. (Was Antenatal and Child Health Pilots Quality Management) 15 
			 Rare conditionsburns 14 
			 SHA Strategic Development Fund (was Modernisation Agency Corporate Programme) 12 
			 Mental health choice and inclusion 11 
			 Choose and book appointments line 11 
			 Budgets less than 10 million 73 
			 Total 1,319 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2:  Departmental administration 
			  Budget title  Budget ( million) 
			 Direct administration costs (as reported in Figure A5 of Department Report 2008) 219 
			 Administration related expenditure e.g. Capital charges, provisions, Administration cost of collection, Consultancy 28 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency 29 
			 Total 276 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  3:  Other Revenue Budgets 
			  Budget Title  Budget ( million) 
			 Injury benefit review 60 
			 Emergency planning 57 
			 School fruit and vegetable scheme 41 
			 Injury allowances 40 
			 Electronic Staff Records 40 
			 National Cancer Screening 40 
			 NHS Choices 38 
			 Health and Social Care Policy Research 34 
			 Ambulance Radio Contract 34 
			 Service Delivery 33 
			 Tobacco Smoke Free Legislation 31 
			 Smoking 26 
			 Substance Misuse 25 
			 Multi-Professional Education  Training Transfer 24 
			 Pensions Programme 22 
			 Contract management 18 
			 Whole system Demonstrators 18 
			 Elective Care 18 
			 General Scheme of Grants to National Voluntary Organisations (S64) 18 
			 International 17 
			 Sexual Health 17 
			 Children and Young People 17 
			 Health Protection 16 
			 Human Resource Services 16 
			 Education and Learning 16 
			 Secretary of States Health Inequalities Review 16 
			 Monitor 16 
			 Public Health Information  Intelligence and Workforce Capacity' 14 
			 Social Marketing 12 
			 Independent Complaints 11 
			 Life Check 11 
			 Inequalities analytical work: Communities for Health 11 
			 Cancer Registry Modernisation 11 
			 Scientific Development  Bioethics (including genetics and stem cells) 10 
			 GP Patient Survey 10 
			 Toward Cleaner Hospitals/Healthcare Associated Infection  Cleanliness 10 
			 Child Safety 10 
			 Other Budgets less than 10 million including receipts 308 
			 Total 1,167

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of staff in his Department have had more than two periods of sickness absence of less than five days in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: The numbers and percentages of staff in the Department who have had more than two periods of sickness of less than five days in each of the last three years are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 2007-08 344 15 
			 2006-07 343 15 
			 2005-06 328 13 
		
	
	Percentages are based on numbers of staff in post at the end of each financial year.

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is not available in the format requested. However information is available for the last three years on the numbers of staff who have had five or more periods of sickness of less than five days. This is given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2007-08 95 
			 2006-07 95 
			 2005-06 87 
		
	
	Information is not available before 2005-06.

Dietary Supplements: EU Law

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when  (a) he and  (b) officials of the Food Standards Agency last met counterparts from each of the other member states of the European Union to discuss the Government's objectives for the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; and what the outcome of each of those meetings was;
	(2)  when the Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency last met officials of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Affairs to discuss the Government's objectives for the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; whom he met; and what the outcome of that meeting was;
	(3)  how many representations he has received from  (a) right hon. and hon. Members and  (b) others on the process of setting maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive in 2008.

Dawn Primarolo: No recent meetings have been held between Health Ministers and their counterparts in other member states on setting maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements.
	Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials met their counterparts from other member states at a European Commission working group meeting to discuss this issue on 27 June 2008. A summary of the meeting will be made available on the Food Standards Agency's website.
	We have been advised by the FSA that their officials are planning a series of bilateral meetings to discuss the setting of maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements in the near future.
	No meetings have been held between the FSA's chief executive and officials of the European Commission's directorate-general for health and consumer protection specifically to discuss setting maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements.
	In 2008, Health Ministers have received 24 written representations on setting maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements from right hon. and hon. Members and peers and five from others.

Drugs: Misuse

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relationship between ecstasy use and psychosis.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department keeps the evidence on the relationship between ecstasy use and psychosis under review and it has commissioned the National Addiction Centre to review the evidence of harms for the Department's publication, 'Dangerousness of Drugs (2001)', copies of which have already been placed in the Library. The Department has identified funding for the review to be updated later this year.
	Additionally, the Government's advisory committee on drugs, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), has undertaken to provide advice on the harm and prevention of harms caused by ecstasy (MDMA) in the form of a published review.
	The ACMD review will draw from a recent Health Technology Assessment review of ecstasy and is expected to be available to Ministers in the later part of 2008.

Drugs: Misuse

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relationship between crystal methamphetamine use and psychosis.

Dawn Primarolo: Although the Department has not commissioned any specific research into the relationship between crystal methamphetamine use and psychosis, it does keep the evidence base under review and has commissioned the National Addiction Centre to review the evidence of harms for the Department's publication, 'Dangerousness of Drugs (2001)', copies of this publication have already been placed in the Library. The Department has identified funding for the review to be updated later this year.
	In addition, the Government's advisory committee on drugs, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) carried out a substantial review entitled 'Methamphetamine Review' of the harms of methylamphetamine, including the risks of psychosis in 2005 prior to its reclassification as a Class A drug. This review is available on the Home Office's website at:
	http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs-laws/acmd/reports-research/
	Methylamphetamine is also a standing item on the ACMD's Technical Committee agenda.

Food: Genetically Modified Organisms

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Food Standards Agency is taking to ensure that food containing genetically modified organisms which is sold in restaurants and public houses is identified as such to customers; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 8 July 2008
	 The labelling requirements for genetically modified (GM) food are set out in the directly applicable Regulations (EC) Nos. 1829/2003 (GM Food and Feed) and 1830/2003 (Traceability and Labelling of GM Organisms). GM food may only be marketed in the European Union (EU) if it has been authorised following a process which involves a rigorous safety assessment. GM organisms which have not been authorised for use in the EU are prohibited.
	Regulation 1829/2003 states that its labelling requirements apply to foods which are to be delivered as such to the final consumer or mass caterers in the Community.
	Local authorities are responsible for enforcement of the legislation in catering establishments and checks for the presence of GM material in foods on the basis of sampling and analysis as part of their enforcement activities.

General Practitioners

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered with general practitioners in England in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of patients registered with general practitioners in England, by primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the following table.
	Data at this level has been published online by the Information Centre for health and social care (IC) since 2006 and are available on the IC's website at:
	 2006
	www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/nhsstaff2006/gp/Primary%20Care%20Trusts.xls
	 2007
	www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/nhsstaff2007/gp/PCT%20Level.xls.
	
		
			  Registered p atients by PCT in England, as at 30 September 
			  Headcoun t 
			 2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			   England 52,713,780 52,527,737 52,817,500 53,283,787 53,588,174 
			 
			  Q30  North East SHA 2,642,373 2,606,732 2,626,296 2,636,773 2,632,206 
			  5D7 Newcastle PCT 279,268 268,904 272,062 274,063 275,311 
			  5D8 North Tyneside PCT 205,488 202,636 210,180 209,784 211,121 
			  5D9 Hartlepool PCT 93,550 93,945 93,818 92,890 93,135 
			  5E1 North Tees PCT 186,616 188,364 187,851 189,375 188,792 
			  5J9 Darlington PCT 102,159 102,104 102,341 103,249 103,971 
			  5KF Gateshead PCT 204,067 204,275 203,548 203,990 202,693 
			  5KG South Tyneside PCT 156,775 155,761 155,492 155,440 151,096 
			  5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT 289,527 280,843 283,391 285,196 284,540 
			  5KM Middlesbrough PCT 148,265 144,526 143,094 151,670 150,111 
			  5ND County Durham PCT 516,641 511,317 518,164 515,497 524,007 
			  5QR Redcar and Cleveland PCT 144,496 137,551 143,512 136,552 130,019 
			  TAC Northumberland Care Trust 315,522 316,506 312,843 319,067 317,410 
			 
			  Q31  North West SHA 7,184,131 7,118,563 7,147,635 7,219,728 7,229,567 
			  5CC Blackburn with Darwen PCT 159,543 160,348 157,095 162,197 161,689 
			  5F5 Salford PCT 231,528 228,658 222,739 234,372 229,628 
			  5F7 Stockport PCT 294,030 294,316 294,350 294,130 295,317 
			  5HG Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 308,549 296,806 300,985 310,477 311,507 
			  5HP Blackpool PCT 150,689 151,100 151,155 151,159 149,017 
			  5HQ Bolton PCT 279,771 280,826 280,096 284,628 286,810 
			  5J2 Warrington PCT 198,348 199,072 199,370 200,603 199,989 
			  5J4 Knowsley PCT 160,302 141,213 158,659 154,493 155,367 
			  5J5 Oldham PCT 231,152 226,271 229,827 233,546 231,467 
			  5JX Bury PCT 188,326 188,496 175,651 190,944 191,828 
			  5LH Tameside and Glossop PCT 233,098 231,995 232,559 234,557 236,049 
			  5NE Cumbria PCT 502,549 503,923 508,689 514,480 516,644 
			  5NF North Lancashire Teaching PCT 332,469 332,515 335,811 334,124 335,956 
			  5NG Central Lancashire PCT 456,764 455,818 457,495 456,692 459,041 
			  5NH East Lancashire Teaching PCT 379,204 367,233 381,196 382,357 385,301 
			  5NJ Sefton PCT 284,928 280,633 281,061 279,143 273,335 
			  5NK Wirral PCT 336,330 335,487 334,499 334,655 334,167 
			  5NL Liverpool PCT 484,300 483,193 472,258 474,435 470,095 
			  5NM Halton and St. Helens PCT 314,126 314,353 311,098 316,851 315,534 
			  5NN West Cheshire PCT 255,175 256,235 255,888 256,697 258,648 
			  5NP Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 453,907 448,916 459,035 461,315 463,711 
			  5NQ Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 216,621 209,823 216,505 217,730 218,797 
			  5NR Trafford PCT 224,888 223,391 221,066 225,209 228,904 
			  5NT Manchester PCT 507,534 507,942 510,548 514,934 520,766 
			 
			  Q32  Yorkshire and Humber SHA 5,239,916 5,233,457 5,260,062 5,310,906 5,328,651 
			  5EF North Lincolnshire PCT 159,542 163,376 162,691 164,027 165,143 
			  5H8 Rotherham PCT 250,838 250,488 252,868 253,938 254,477 
			  5J6 Calderdale PCT 201,230 202,694 201,721 205,280 203,735 
			  5JE Barnsley PCT 234,621 233,148 234,796 239,218 240,872 
			  5N1 Leeds PCT 764,773 763,980 767,465 778,374 781,616 
			  5N2 Kirklees PCT 401,808 400,434 399,788 408,538 407,536 
			  5N3 Wakefield District PCT 338,512 341,075 342,747 345,169 347,205 
			  5N4 Sheffield PCT 543,586 534,072 541,803 544,587 547,258 
			  5N5 Doncaster PCT 304,001 301,431 303,121 304,073 303,698 
			  5NV North Yorkshire and York PCT 770,223 775,156 777,454 781,790 786,984 
			  5NW East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 301,158 304,975 307,262 309,641 312,071 
			  5NX Hull Teaching PCT 285,889 282,319 281,262 283,286 283,534 
			  5NY Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 514,057 516,695 517,074 524,846 524,764 
			  TAN North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 169,678 163,614 170,010 168,139 169,758 
			 
			  Q33  East Midlands SHA 4,349,889 4,333,787 4,388,746 4,426,994 4,480,006 
			  5EM Nottingham City PCT 313,527 310,084 313,703 315,374 324,403 
			  5ET Bassetlaw PCT 106,328 107,474 108,384 108,814 107,559 
			  5N6 Derbyshire County PCT 696,183 680,689 701,625 695,547 707,339 
			  5N7 Derby City PCT 276,897 272,617 277,675 282,017 285,241 
			  5N8 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 641,492 643,314 644,446 648,411 653,309 
			  5N9 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 684,230 694,252 704,916 699,007 725,087 
			  5PA Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 645,489 643,855 647,422 658,609 657,860 
			  5PC Leicester City Teaching PCT 336,597 327,233 326,872 342,899 335,967 
			  5PD Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 649,145 654,269 663,703 676,316 683,241 
			 
			  Q34  West Midlands SHA 5,608,459 5,581,512 5,613,419 5,629,001 5,684,311 
			  5CN Herefordshire PCT 174,445 175,981 176,755 177,699 179,039 
			  5M1 South Birmingham PCT 378,193 371,970 372,135 377,828 381,178 
			  5M2 Shropshire County PCT 282,884 288,518 289,211 291,951 293,980 
			  5M3 Walsall Teaching PCT 263,070 262,800 264,556 265,898 262,545 
			  5MD Coventry Teaching PCT 339,895 338,399 339,770 345,922 348,475 
			  5MK Telford And Wrekin PCT 163,744 165,205 165,484 167,149 168,325 
			  5MV Wolverhampton City PCT 258,982 255,789 257,126 258,188 259,250 
			  5MX Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 314,844 306,002 294,627 312,779 310,552 
			  5PE Dudley PCT 312,027 310,805 314,637 305,151 314,560 
			  5PF Sandwell PCT 318,097 304,646 314,036 324,708 326,382 
			  5PG Birmingham East And North PCT 440,409 440,602 443,279 427,784 436,286 
			  5PH North Staffordshire PCT 210,888 208,066 207,825 202,108 208,065 
			  5PJ Stoke on Trent Teaching PCT 269,761 262,923 272,469 264,231 269,290 
			  5PK South Staffordshire PCT 593,809 594,926 598,737 601,251 603,057 
			  5PL Worcestershire PCT 554,509 558,552 561,567 565,182 569,527 
			  5PM Warwickshire PCT 520,373 522,432 526,533 531,164 535,740 
			  TAM Solihull Care Trust 212,530 213,896 214,672 210,008 218,060 
			 
			  Q35  East England SHA 5,662,615 5,671,345 5,715,730 5,755,696 5,829,376 
			  5GC Luton PCT 201,438 201,420 202,215 203,339 203,699 
			  5P1 South East Essex PCT 351,468 352,536 352,449 348,056 351,720 
			  5P2 Bedfordshire PCT 408,452 412,118 412,687 414,061 419,994 
			  5P3 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 561,184 561,831 564,390 570,717 573,659 
			  5P4 West Hertfordshire PCT 561,066 562,025 566,059 570,343 574,267 
			  5PN Peterborough PCT 160,695 163,647 164,999 163,070 168,084 
			  5PP Cambridgeshire PCT 579,352 578,391 592,269 585,077 598,253 
			  5PQ Norfolk PCT 704,253 711,775 716,650 731,525 737,337 
			  5PR Great Yarmouth and Waveney Teaching PCT 221,957 220,363 225,970 222,042 228,819 
			  5PT Suffolk PCT 573,699 585,184 588,288 595,114 602,308 
			  5PV West Essex PCT 269,748 269,378 267,960 274,187 274,872 
			  5PW North East Essex PCT 307,035 306,251 306,933 309,921 313,816 
			  5PX Mid Essex PCT 355,072 352,688 358,444 366,931 370,673 
			  5PY South West Essex Teaching PCT 407,196 393,738 396,418 401,313 411,875 
			 
			  Q36  London SHA 8,357,783 8,284,400 8,309,123 8,445,425 8,411,763 
			  5A4 Havering PCT 248,029 242,557 247,423 248,158 247,315 
			  5A5 Kingston PCT 177,468 177,659 179,191 181,641 181,810 
			  5A7 Bromley PCT 316,819 314,708 315,368 321,435 320,424 
			  5A8 Greenwich Teaching PCT 253,156 254,421 259,970 262,986 263,105 
			  5A9 Barnet PCT 376,448 373,213 372,269 372,760 364,347 
			  5AT Hillingdon PCT 258,940 259,010 260,318 266,460 263,850 
			  5C1 Enfield PCT 289,642 287,503 288,223 283,473 287,467 
			  5C2 Barking and Dagenham PCT 170,493 164,668 167,309 176,377 176,814 
			  5C3 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 271,202 262,820 257,307 269,845 270,661 
			  5C4 Tower Hamlets PCT 220,739 212,599 216,280 230,348 236,828 
			  5C5 Newham PCT 305,285 302,192 306,359 320,594 328,247 
			  5C9 Haringey Teaching PCT 288,120 284,093 279,610 280,198 271,332 
			  5H1 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 188,199 192,768 188,986 191,059 190,935 
			  5HX Ealing PCT 361,069 367,788 356,613 366,640 348,410 
			  5HY Hounslow PCT 253,558 249,525 251,717 257,835 256,246 
			  5K5 Brent Teaching PCT 352,148 344,394 345,507 346,204 348,125 
			  5K6 Harrow PCT 222,615 226,686 229,112 229,703 231,602 
			  5K7 Camden PCT 246,705 235,120 243,337 235,513 231,807 
			  5K8 Islington PCT 222,617 223,070 226,749 220,021 203,649 
			  5K9 Croydon PCT 359,756 358,525 361,059 363,647 361,266 
			  5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 195,743 190,957 183,440 183,005 181,910 
			  5LC Westminster PCT 250,884 240,212 235,329 244,963 245,988 
			  5LD Lambeth PCT 353,962 351,969 347,101 353,784 355,985 
			  5LE Southwark PCT 281,524 277,970 285,558 291,564 297,476 
			  5LF Lewisham PCT 279,822 288,731 280,550 285,786 285,978 
			  5LG Wandsworth PCT 309,365 302,557 312,436 325,864 328,223 
			  5M6 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 197,985 198,758 198,842 192,597 194,656 
			  5M7 Sutton and Merton PCT 383,794 384,652 392,655 400,117 403,620 
			  5NA Redbridge PCT 243,463 240,834 245,223 255,889 253,671 
			  5NC Waltham Forest PCT 257,484 253,116 253,090 263,485 257,997 
			  TAK Bexley Care Trust 220,748 221,325 222,192 223,474 222,019 
			 
			  Q37  South East Coast SHA 4,377,212 4,364,414 4,375,551 4,424,349 4,454,941 
			  5L3 Medway PCT 275,597 272,891 274,732 276,098 270,534 
			  5LQ Brighton and Hove City PCT 288,518 280,663 285,148 290,282 286,646 
			  5P5 Surrey PCT 1,110,240 1,108,212 1,114,179 1,119,201 1,136,034 
			  5P6 West Sussex Teaching PCT 793,385 797,881 796,553 801,236 806,472 
			  5P7 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 334,336 337,550 338,690 339,480 342,038 
			  5P8 Hastings and Rother PCT 177,346 177,863 176,356 176,659 180,022 
			  5P9 West Kent PCT 669,839 666,762 667,827 682,310 690,770 
			  5QA Eastern and Coastal Kent Teaching PCT 727,951 722,592 722,066 739,083 742,425 
			 
			  Q38  South Central SHA 4,131,822 4,130,760 4,140,793 4,159,688 4,206,838 
			  5CQ Milton Keynes PCT 234,824 235,920 237,975 240,554 245,966 
			  5FE Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 187,535 186,140 187,080 203,695 204,590 
			  5L1 Southampton City PCT 249,317 247,287 249,049 251,069 253,277 
			  5QC Hampshire PCT 1,272,557 1,279,060 1,281,874 1,265,468 1,288,089 
			  5QD Buckinghamshire PCT 512,249 514,460 514,570 517,634 518,987 
			  5QE Oxfordshire PCT 656,320 655,585 655,766 655,623 659,081 
			  5QF Berkshire West PCT 480,244 475,339 478,953 483,819 487,318 
			  5QG Berkshire East Teaching PCT 403,998 400,357 397,826 403,390 409,658 
			  5QT Isle of Wight Healthcare PCT 134,778 136,612 137,700 138,436 139,872 
			 
			  Q39  South West SHA 5,159,581 5,202,767 5,240,145 5,275,227 5,330,515 
			  5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 243,585 248,746 248,448 249,644 250,906 
			  5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 260,369 259,217 261,881 263,789 265,518 
			  5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 188,566 190,434 191,373 192,507 193,105 
			  5K3 Swindon PCT 196,734 193,993 198,830 202,448 205,891 
			  5M8 North Somerset PCT 193,387 192,298 198,414 200,982 204,031 
			  5QH Gloucestershire PCT 583,923 588,394 591,702 596,632 602,048 
			  5QJ Bristol Teaching PCT 436,899 440,925 444,363 448,485 450,947 
			  5QK Wiltshire PCT 436,271 440,199 442,619 446,158 448,650 
			  5QL Somerset PCT 510,610 513,700 516,490 510,936 524,890 
			  5QM Dorset PCT 384,376 389,320 391,840 394,974 398,852 
			  5QN Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 342,579 344,003 345,560 348,161 353,187 
			  5QP Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 517,763 525,843 529,854 535,079 539,777 
			  5QQ Devon PCT 722,309 731,954 735,009 740,899 747,350 
			  TAL Torbay Care Trust 142,209 143,741 143,762 144,533 145,363 
			 Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

General Practitioners: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what general practitioner practices within Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust  (a) have agreed extended opening hours and  (b) declined to extend opening hours.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is not collected in the requested format. Information is only available for the number of general practitioner (GP) practices offering extended opening. According to the latest data collected in June 2008, there are no GP practices within Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust currently offering extended opening.
	In order to extend GP opening hours 158 million has been provided nationally. The development and location of services are a matter for the national health service locally, based on need and working in conjunction with clinicians, patients and other stakeholders. The hon. Member may therefore wish to raise this matter locally.

General Practitioners: Pharmacy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on dispensing GPs of implementing the proposals set out in the Pharmacy White Paper; what discussions he has had with dispensing GPs on the matter; and what recent representations he has received on the proposals.

Ben Bradshaw: The White Paper Pharmacy in England; Building on StrengthsDelivering the Future looks at aligning the future provision of pharmaceutical services and sets out proposals to look at the market entry criteria for doctors and community pharmacists, (copies of this are available in the Library). No final decision has been taken over any criteria to be used in considering future arrangements for patients to receive pharmaceutical services from their general practitioner (GP).
	A consultation paper will be launched later this summer following the recent publication of the primary and community care strategyNHS Next Stage Review (copies of this publication have already been deposited in the Library). This will put forward possible options to address these issues and will contain an initial assessment of the impact of any proposals on patients, the national health service and contractors.
	The Department has carried out a number of listening events around the country in the past two months on the Pharmacy White Paper. As part of this, over 120 dispensing GPs and practice managers attended these events. In addition, The Department's officials have met with representatives of GPs and pharmacists to discuss these matters and a large amount of correspondence has been received on the proposals contained in the White Paper.

Health Centres

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2008,  Official Report, column 119W, on health centres, on what dates regional workshops have been held; and if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) agenda,  (b) minutes and  (c) other papers for each of these workshops.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows dates of regional workshops held to date.
	Agendas and generic presentations for Workshop 1, Workshop 2, Evaluation workshops and Finance workshops are available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Procurementandproposals/Procurement/ProcurementatPCTs/DH_081031#_20
	Papers for all future workshops will also be available on the Department's website.
	Workshops held to date are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			   Workshop  Aim/topics/content  Invitees 
			  Programme launch
			 13 December 2007 National Programme Launch Conference on Local ProcurementsEquitable Access to Primary Medical Care (EAPMC) Provide an understanding of: Policy around Access to Primary Medical Care. Primary care trust (PCT) Procurement Framework and the website. What a Procurement Framework is. Level of support provided by the Department. All PCTs and strategic health authorities (SHAs) 
			 
			  Workshop 1Procurement Planning to Advert Stage  
			 17 January 2008 Yorks and Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) Workshop 1 Provide an understanding of: Procurement processes and initiation of procurement. Covered PCT project specification to advert stage.(1) Regional SHAs and respective PCTs(2) 
			 23 January 2008 East of England SHA Workshop 1 (1) (2) 
			 24 January 2008 North East SHA Workshop 1 (1) (2) 
			 30 January 2008 North West SHA Workshop 1 (1) (2) 
			 31 January 2008 West Midlands SHA Workshop 1 (1) (2) 
			 4 February 2008 South West SHA Workshop 1 (1) (2) 
			 14 February 2008 South East Coast SHA Workshop 1 (1) (2) 
			 
			  Knowledge Share Workshops Deve loping Commercial and Legal Understanding  
			 19 February 2008 Legal Workshop Introduction to Equitable Access in primary medical care. Legal and Contract aspects. Selected PCTs and SHAs. 
			 26 February 2008 Commercial Workshop Introduction to Proper Balance between: Quality, Value and Safety. Selected PCTs and SHAs. 
			 
			  Procurement Hub Workshop  
			 4 March 2008  Provide an understanding of: Procurement/Commercial Strategy. Bidder Management. Collaborative Procurement Hubs 
			 
			  Workshop 2ITT Stage  
			 15 April 2008 South West SHA Workshop 2 Provide an understanding of: Commercial principles that inform the Invitation to Tender (ITT) for GP Practices and Health Centres. How to adapt template documents to meet PCT needs. Building Clinical Quality Requirements into the Contract.(3) Regional SHAs and respective PCTs(4) 
			 16 April 2008 South East SHA Workshop 2 (3) (4) 
			 22 April 2008 South Central Workshop 2 (3) (4) 
			 23 April 2008 Yorkshire and Humber SHA Workshop 2 (3) (4) 
			 29 April 2008 West Midlands SHA Workshop 2 (3) (4) 
			 30 April 2008 North West SHA Workshop 2 (3) (4) 
			 1 May 2008 East of England SHA Workshop 2 (3) (4) 
			 7 May 2008 North East SHA Workshop 2 (3) (4) 
			 
			  Finance WorkshopsAffordability Review and Financial Model Template  
			 21 April 2008 South West SHA Affordability Model and Financial Model Template (FMT) Understanding the FMT and Affordability Models and how to adapt the FMT to meet PCT needs(5) Regional SHAs and respective PCTs(6) 
			 13 May 2008 Yorkshire and Humber SHA Affordability Model and FMT (5) (6) 
			 21 May 2008 East Midlands SHA Affordability Model and FMT (5) (6) 
			 3 June 2008 West Midlands SHA Affordability Model and FMT (5) (6) 
			 5 June 2008 South Central SHA Affordability Model and FMT (5) (6) 
			 6 June 2008 North West SHA Affordability Model and FMT (5) (6) 
			 10 June 2008 East of England Affordability Model and FMT (5) (6) 
			 12 June 2008 North East Affordability Model and FMT (5) (6) 
			 
			  Evaluation Workshops  
			 21 May 2008 North West SHA Evaluation Workshop Provide an enhanced understanding of: Bidder selection process. Key elements of the ITT evaluation. ITT Requirements and Weightings. Consolidation Results.(7) Regional SHAs and respective PCTs(8) 
			 17 June 2008 South West (7) (8) 
			 19 June 2008 East of England (7) (8) 
			 25 June 2008 South East Coast (7) (8) 
			 3 July 2008 North East (7) (8) 
			 9 July 2008 Yorkshire and Humber (7) (8)

Health Centres

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2008,  Official Report, column 119W, on health centres, on what dates future regional workshops have been planned; and what the planned content is of each.

Ben Bradshaw: Workshops planned for the future are regional (strategic health authority (SHA) Level) evaluation process workshops and a London region programme overview workshop for London primary care trusts (PCTs). These will be held during the month of July 2008.
	The planned content is as follows:
	 Evaluation Workshop:
	overview of the evaluation/bidder selection process;
	pre-qualification questionnaire process overview and questions;
	key elements of the invitation to tender evaluation;
	invitation to tender requirements and weightings; and
	consolidating results evaluation results.
	 London Workshop 1:
	overview of the equitable access to primary medical care programme;
	commercial and market management strategy overview;
	an understanding of the early steps of a procurement process (service design, affordability assessment, stakeholder engagement and procurement planning and publishing advertisements); and
	set out next steps and timeline for delivery for London PCTs.
	All London PCTs have been invited to attend by London SHA.

Health Services: Overseas Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution his Department has made to the Global Health Workforce Alliance's Health Worker Policy Initiative working group; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department for International Development (DFID) takes the lead in the United Kingdom's support to the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA). DFID has provided 1 million to support GHWA from 2007-09, plus technical assistance in the early stages.
	The Department of Health participated in the First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health convened by GHWA in Kampala in March 2008. The emerging UK Government's strategy, Health is Global, highlights the importance of GHWA.

Health Services: Overseas Aid

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is considering for implementing the March 2008 Global Health Workforce Alliance Kampala Declaration and Agenda for Global Action; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Health is Global: a United Kingdom Government-wide strategy will be published in the autumn. In it, we highlight the work of the Global Health Workforce Alliance and the Kampala Declaration.
	Across Government, we will work with the Global Health Workforce Alliance and other partners for a comprehensive and coherent approach to tackling the global human resources for health crisis. The Government provides effective development assistance, is ensuring the national health service is increasingly self-sufficiency, and promulgates fair polices and codes of conducts for health worker migration in the UK and the rest of the world.
	The Department has a responsibility in all three areas, all of which are key components of the Kampala declaration. First, we have worked with the NHS and others to make sure that the NHS is now much more self sufficient than previously. Second, the Government's response to Lord Crisp's report highlights how the Department will work with the NHS and others to support effective development assistance. Finally we have a code of conduct in the UK that ensures the NHS does not recruit from countries where we provide development assistance (unless there are specific agreements in place between the two governments). We are working with the Global Health Workforce Alliance on the development of a global code of conduct.

Health Services: Private Sector

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account his Department took of the Better Regulation Executive's code of practice for consultation in the preparation of its consultation paper on amendments to regulations governing private and voluntary healthcare.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department took full account of the Code of Practice on Consultation.

Health: Equality

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of levels of health inequalities in urban communities between  (a) white,  (b) mixed race,  (c) Asian and  (d) Afro-Caribbean ethnic groups; and what steps he plans to take to reduce such inequalities.

Dawn Primarolo: Primary care trusts and local authorities assess levels of health inequalities between different ethnic groups in urban communities at local level to inform service planning. Nationally the Department has provided tools to aid this process such as joint strategic needs assessment and the health inequalities health poverty index.
	The Department has also put in place specific programmes of work to tackle health inequalities between ethnic groups including race for health and delivering race equality in mental healthcare. Action to address ethnic health inequalities is an integral and vital part of our national drive to increase health overall and to reduce inequalities. In a fair society, everyone should have equal opportunity to have a healthy life and the Department is committed to facilitating equitable outcomes in the interest of all sections of the population.

Hemel Hempstead Hospital: Hospital Beds

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on the number of beds in maternity facilities at Hemel Hempstead hospital since June 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department's records show that we have received only one representation specifically on the number of beds in maternity facilities at Hemel Hempstead hospital, which was a parliamentary question from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead in June 2008. However, from June 2005 to June 2008, we have received the following representations on the future of services at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, including maternity services:
	three parliamentary questions;
	one business question;
	two ministerial meetings with hon. Members; and
	one debate.
	The Department has also received around 1,900 items of correspondence on the future of services at Hemel Hempstead hospital since June 2005. However, due to the way in which correspondence is logged, items concerned specifically with the number of beds in maternity facilities at the hospital could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS in-patients contracted  (a) MRSA,  (b) clostridium difficile,  (c) norovirus and  (d) other healthcare-associated infections in each year since 2005;
	(2)  how many in-patients were treated by NHS hospitals for  (a) MRSA,  (b) clostridium difficile and  (c) norovirus in each year since 2005.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally and the best available data are from the mandatory surveillance system operated for the Department by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). These and additional information on norovirus are given as follows.
	All acute national health service trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of bloodstream infections caused by meticillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
	These data comprise all specimens processed by NHS acute trust laboratories, not just those from in-patients and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere.
	These data are only available by financial year.
	
		
			  April to March each year  Number of cases of bloodstream infections caused by MRSA 
			 2004-05 7,233 
			 2005-06 7,096 
			 2006-07 6,383 
		
	
	All acute NHS trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of  Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile) infection in people aged 65 years and over.
	These data comprise all specimens processed by NHS acute trust laboratories, not just those from in-patients and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere.
	
		
			   Number of cases of C. difficile infection in people aged 65 years and over 
			 2005 51,829 
			 2006 55,636 
		
	
	In April 2007, mandatory surveillance was extended to include all patients aged two years and over. Annual data for patients aged less than 65 years are not yet available.
	The HPA Centre for Infections (CfI) has a voluntary reporting system, General Surveillance of Outbreaks (GSURV) that collects data on outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness.
	The following table gives the number of outbreaks that were reported to be due to norovirus and occurring in hospitals in England and the number of people affected (patients and staff). The reporter has recorded the pathogen as norovirus from positive laboratory specimens.
	
		
			   Number of outbreaks  Number of people affected 
			 2005 58 1,377 
			 2006 50 719 
			 2007 36 499 
			  Note: Many outbreaks that are suspected to be due to viral origin may not have laboratory diagnoses. The number of reported norovirus outbreaks and the number of people affected recorded will, therefore, be considerable underestimates.  Source: HPA CfI GSURV 
		
	
	All acute NHS trusts in England are obliged to report all cases of blood stream infections caused by glycopeptides-resistant enterococci.
	These data comprise all specimens processed by NHS acute trust laboratories, not just those from in-patients and include infections acquired in hospital and elsewhere.
	These data are available from October to September; they are not available by calendar year.
	
		
			  October to September each year  Number of cases of blood stream infections caused by glycopeptides-resistant enterococci 
			 2004-05 758 
			 2005-06 903 
		
	
	The following data are collected from the mandatory surveillance of surgical site infections (SSIs) in orthopaedic categories in English NHS hospitals. Hospitals carrying out orthopaedic surgery have to participate in the surveillance of at least one category for at least one quarter of the year. All of the SSIs reported are identified during the in-patient period.
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Surgical category  Number of operations  Number of SSIs  Number of operations  Number of SSIs  Number of operations  Number of SSIs 
			 Hip prosthesis 16,765 211 21,046 190 25,397 181 
			 Knee prosthesis 15,848 103 22,843 128 25,167 96 
			 Open reduction of long bone fracture 3,277 66 2,774 44 3,678 69 
			 Hip hemiarthroplasty 5,396 219 6,328 230 6,709 211

Human Papilloma Virus

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors underlay the decisions  (a) to offer Cervarix and  (b) not to offer Gardasil as part of the national immunisation programme against the human papilloma virus.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 July 2008,  Official Repo rt, columns 943-44W, to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) and for Norwich, North (Dr. Gibson).

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's June 2008 consultation on the proposed new arrangements for the provision of stoma and urology services and related services in primary care, what is meant by the statement that a supplier of continence care products derives particular advantages from ownership of a dispensing appliance contractor; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Dispensing appliance contractors, who dispense items that they manufacture, stand to benefit from the fact that in most cases a wholesaler will not be part of their supply chain. Hence, they are able to retain a greater proportion of the reimbursement they receive for items dispensed.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's June 2008 consultation on the proposed new arrangements for the provision of stoma and urology services and related services in primary care, for what reason the expensive prescription fee is not proposed to be extended to dispensing appliance contractors; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The 'expensive prescription' fee is to reflect where pharmacies have had to purchase an expensive item to dispense yet they are not reimbursed the final total amount until more than two months after dispensing. Dispensing appliance contractors are reimbursed one month earlier than pharmacists. However, proposals relating to service and service payment regarding products in part IX of the Drug Tariff dispensed by pharmacies and appliance contractors, are subject to a consultation.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with respect to his Department's June 2008 consultation on the proposed new arrangements for the provision of stoma and urology services and related services in primary care, what estimate his Department has made of the remuneration that will be provided in respect of  (a) stoma items and services and  (b) urology items and services; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Subject to the outcome of the consultation, it is estimated that the total reimbursement for stoma and urology appliances and remuneration for related services would be as follows. These figures are based on the number of items dispensed in 2007:
	
		
			million 
			 Stoma appliances and related services 184.9 
			 Urology appliances and related services 111.7

Maternity Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many maternity units were closed in NHS hospitals in each  (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care trust area in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: That information is not collected centrally.

Medical Records: Lost Property

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what procedures are followed to retrieve NHS patient information which is  (a) lost and  (b) stolen;
	(2)  what safeguards are in place to prevent NHS patients' information being  (a) lost and  (b) stolen.

Ben Bradshaw: The security of patient records is a local responsibility and each national health service body is legally responsible for holding information securely. However, the Department provides comprehensive policy, guidance and supporting tools for security compliance to NHS bodies and has also made encryption software available to all NHS trusts through a central procurement. The 10 strategic health authorities hold local organisations to account for their performance.
	The Department is also providing, through the National Programme for IT, electronic patient record systems that are protected by the highest levels of access controls and other security measures, a secure NHS network for exchanging information that is centrally monitored and strongly protected, and secure NHS e-mail facilities that encrypt all data in transit within the system.
	Action taken to retrieve lost or stolen patient information is locally determined and will depend on the circumstances of each particular event, but will typically include involvement of the police where theft has occurred or is suspected, and an internal investigation into the circumstances, with disciplinary procedures invoked where necessary and appropriate.

Medical Records: Lost Property

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients' records were  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in (i) Leicester and (ii) England in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) on 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 363W.

Medical Treatments Abroad

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have been sent abroad for operations in the last three months; in which countries they have been treated; what the net effect on costs to the NHS was; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There are currently two routes that cover patients who choose to go to another European Economic Area (EEA) country for treatment: the E112 form and the Article 49 route. Information is held centrally on the former but not on the latter as the decision about reimbursement is the responsibility of the local commissioner. The Department also does not hold centrally information about patients referred to countries outside of the EEA.
	Departmental data show that 275 E112 forms (used to refer national health service patients to other EEA countries) were issued between April and June 2008. The countries of treatment can be found in the following table. The Department is not able to tell what the cost saving (if any) will be for the NHS as, due to the nature of the claims process between member states, the United Kingdom may not receive the bill for the cost of this treatment for 18 months or more.
	The Department recognises that in accordance with EC Regulation 1408/71 and Article 49, British citizens are entitled to go to another country for healthcare, subject to certain conditions.
	
		
			  Countries of treatment 
			   Number 
			 Belgium 6 
			 France 65 
			 Greece 3 
			 Italy 6 
			 Poland 132 
			 Sweden 7 
			 Switzerland 3 
			 Austria 6 
			 Czech Republic 7 
			 Finland 5 
			 Germany 16 
			 Hungary 3 
			 Slovakia 8 
			 Spain 6 
			 Netherlands 2 
			 Total 275

Medical Treatments: Finance

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many exceptional funding requests for treatment were  (a) approved and  (b) declined by primary care trusts in (i) Leeds West constituency, (ii) Leeds Metropolitan District and (iii) England in each year since 2000.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held centrally.
	It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission services on behalf of their populations and to make decisions locally on which treatments to fund, taking into account all relevant circumstances and their statutory responsibilities and the principles of administrative law set out by the courts, particularly in relation to funding policies and whether to fund treatment in exceptional circumstances.
	The draft National Health Service Constitution (copies of which have already been placed in the Library) makes clear the patient's right to expect local decisions on funding for drugs, for which National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance is not available, to be made rationally following proper consideration of the evidence. To underpin this, the Government will require PCTs to put in place clear and transparent arrangements both for local decision-making on funding of new drugs and for considering exceptional funding requests, and to publish information on those arrangements. Where the local NHS decides not to fund a treatment, the patient and clinician can expect an explanation.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the resources available to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to produce commissioning guides.

Dawn Primarolo: No separate review is required. There will be significant new investment in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to enable it to take on the additional roles proposed in Lord Darzi's 'High Quality Care for All: NHS Next Stage Review Final Report' (CM 7432), published last month, copies of which are available in the Library.

NHS: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider making compliance with clinical guidelines produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence mandatory upon all NHS healthcare trusts.

Dawn Primarolo: Clinical guidelines relate to a whole pathway of care and can make a large number of recommendations spanning all stages of care from the diagnosis to treatment of a condition. They are not mandatory or subject to the same performance management assessment as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE'S) technology appraisals in recognition of their complexity. Clinical guidelines published by NICE are developmental standards for the national health service and the Government expect them to be fully implemented over time.

NHS: Training

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications for NHS bursaries were received from  (a) medical and  (b) dental students in each of the last five years; how many applicants were successful in each year; and how much was paid.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of NHS bursary awards assessed and the amounts paid for medical and dental students in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of NHS bursary awards assessed and amounts paid for medical and dental students by academic year 
			   Number of bursary holders  Amount paid () 
			  Academic year  Medical  Dental  Total  Medical  Dental  Total 
			 2002-03 4,452 675 5,127 5,993,111 775,492 6,768,603 
			 2003-04 6,447 535 6,982 9,939,850 900,697 10,840,547 
			 2004-05 7,068 572 7,640 12,269,626 886,568 13,156,194 
			 2005-06 8,385 528 8,913 14,787,446 843,334 15,630,780 
			 2006-07 9,159 589 9,748 17,229,398 1,053,332 18,282,729 
			  Note: Number of Students for whom a NHS bursary award assessed is shown rather than number of applications because: if an application is received and returned for more information / students signature etc. NHS Student Bursaries Unit do not hold the data on the number received and returned, which are then never returned with the additional information (due to the fact they decide in the interim period not to apply for NHS Bursary funding); if an application is received, and rejected on residency eligibility grounds, NHS Student Bursaries receive that application, but do not assess their entitlement as they are rejected before that assessment is made; if an application is received, but NHS Student Bursaries need more information to determine if they are eligible on residency grounds, they have received that application, but do not assess their entitlement until they provide the additional information; NHS Student Bursaries have only been collating data about 'applications received' for internal service level agreement monitoring purposes since 2005-06 and therefore they do not have five years worth of data about 'applications received' and can not provide valid year on year comparative figures; NHS Student Bursaries' database only holds details of the course that the student was actually funded for in that academic year, accordingly all medical and dental students who intercalated (undertook a one year BSc course part way through their medical/dental course) in any academic year have to be included with the figures for the medical students (because the vast majority of intercalating students are medical students) as they can not interrogate the data to clarify whether an intercalated student was a medical or dental student in previous or future academic years; and Due to the way tuition fee payments were paid prior to 2005-06, NHS Student Bursaries only hold data in relation to tuition fee payments for the academic years 2005-06 and 2006-07, therefore to ensure that the figures for the last five years compare 'like with like' details for 'amounts paid' they do not include any amounts paid for tuition fees in any academic year.  Source: NHS Business Services Authority Student Bursaries Unit

Obesity: Children

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children in  (a) each London borough and  (b) English region were obese in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available in the exact format requested.
	The national child measurement programme provides the most comprehensive data on obesity among children aged 4-5 and 10-11 years; now in its third year, it has produced one of the largest collections of data on children's height and weight in the world. The most recent available data, broken down by London local authority and strategic health authority (SHA) in England, can be found, respectively, in table C on pages 39 to 40 and table B on page 38, National Child Measurement Programme: 2006-07 school year, headline results, which was published on 21 February 21 2008. Copies of this publication have already been placed in the Library.
	Further information on the percentage of children in England who are obese, for ages two to 15 years, broken down by Government Office Region and SHA in England, is collected in the Health Survey for England. The most recent available data for children can be found in Tables 2.3 and 2.11, pages 36 and 43, Health Survey for England 2006: Volume 2 Obesity and other risk factors in children, which was published on 31 January 2008. Copies of this publication have already been placed in the Library.

Organs: Donors

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the black market in human organs is stopped; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: In the United Kingdom, it is unlawful under the Human Tissue Act 2004 and the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006 to buy and sell organs for transplantation, or to attempt to buy and sell organs for transplantation.
	The Human Tissue Authority also administers the approval system for all live organ donations across the UK, and includes a number of safeguards in their approval system to ensure that individuals are not being coerced, or receiving commercial gain.

Out-Patients: Bedfordshire

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many missed appointments there have been  (a) at Luton and Dunstable Hospital,  (b) in Luton Primary Care Trust and  (c) in Luton Mental Health Trust in the last 12 months; and what the cost of missed appointments in each category was over that period.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table contains information about missed appointments ('did not attends' = DNAs) at Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Luton Primary Care Trust (PCT) in 2007-08. Information is not collected centrally about DNAs for community-based services, and therefore information is not available for Bedfordshire and Luton Mental Health and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust.
	Information about the cost of missed appointments is not collected centrally.
	
		
			  DNAs at Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Luton PCT in 2007-08 
			  Organisation name  First out-patient attendance DNAs  Subsequent out-patient attendances DNAs  In-patient DNAs  Total DNAs 
			 Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 8,814 17,598 616 27,028 
			 Luton PCT 61 227 0 288 
			  Source: Department of Health form Quarterly activity return provider-based.

Overseas Visitors

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department employs any overseas visitors' officers; and what their responsibilities are.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department employs two overseas visitors' officers. Their responsibilities involve the administration and management of visits from overseas to the Department, national health service and related bodies. They also develop links and partnerships with overseas ministries, foreign health industry and trade bodies along with United Kingdom organisations with international health interests. They are supervised by a third officer with a wider remit.

Pain: Health Services

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce a national framework for the management of chronic pain in England.

Ann Keen: The Department has no plans to introduce a national framework for the management of chronic pain in England.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission services for people with pain, taking into account resources they have available, the needs of their wider population and available guidance on best practice. The quality of services should be monitored locally to ensure it is provided to meet the needs of the local population. The Department is supporting commissioning through the recent publication of an 18-week pathway for the management and treatment of chronic pain. NHS Choices has also provided information that will raise the awareness of chronic pain and treatments.
	As part of the NHS Next Stage review lead by Lord Darzi, working groups of local clinicians in each strategic health authority have carried out a detailed review of clinical pathways across all areas of health care, and have identified what they believe to be the best models of care for local patients. The results have now been published and PCTs will now be responsible for working out in discussion with local partners, patients and the general public how best to commission the proposed improvements.

Prescription Drugs

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to alter the best practice guidance to primary care trusts on the funding of drug treatments in the absence of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Dawn Primarolo: In 'Good Practice Guidance on Managing the Introduction of New Healthcare Interventions and Links to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Guidance', published in December 2006 (copies of which have been placed in the Library), on medicines where no NICE guidance exists, the Department gave a commitment to undertake a review. We are planning to review and extend this guidance in 2009 and we will consult on draft guidance as part of this process.

Sex: Health Education

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will include within the review of his Department's sexual health and HIV strategy consideration of the findings of the study commissioned by his Department on the economics of family planning and underage conceptions by Professor David Patton.

Dawn Primarolo: The review of the 2001 National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV is being undertaken by the Sexual Health Independent Advisory Group (SHIAG). This is an independent review and it is for SHIAG to consider what evidence and studies they include in the Review.

Smoking

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to help smokers stop smoking in  (a) the North West and  (b) England.

Dawn Primarolo: Although smoking prevalence has declined in the North West over the past decade, it is still above the all-England average. The number of deaths from smoking among people aged 35 and over is also higher in the North West than the all-England average.
	A 1.8 million programme to reduce smoking rates in the North West is now being implemented. Current activity includes supporting national smoke free campaigns, making NHS Stop Smoking Services widely available, and partnership action to reducing the appeal and availability of illicit tobacco.
	National action on reducing smoking prevalence over the past decade is set out in the Consultation on the future of tobacco control, published in May 2008. Copies of the Consultation have already been placed in the Library.
	The Government have undertaken to develop a new National Tobacco Control Strategy to further reduce smoking rates in the future. The current consultation will inform the development of the strategy, and includes questions on protecting children and young people from smoking, and on helping smokers to quit.

Smoking

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to reduce smoking rates in the  (a) adult and  (b) child population in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) socio-economic and (ii) ethnic group; what steps he plans to take further to reduce smoking rates; what funding his Department has allocated to the reduction of smoking rates in each of the last five years; what funding he intends to allocate over the current comprehensive spending review period; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In England, tobacco control activity has been guided by the Department's six-strand strategy, based on international evidence that a co-ordinated and multi-faceted response is required to effectively tackle tobacco use.
	National action on reducing smoking prevalence over the past decade is set out in the Consultation on the future of tobacco control, published in May 2008 (copies of which have already been placed in the Library), and in the Department's annual reports over the period.
	The Government have undertaken to develop a new national tobacco control strategy to further reduce smoking rates in the future. The current consultation will inform the development of the strategy, and includes questions on protecting children and young people from smoking, and on helping smokers to quit.
	NHS Stop Smoking Services continue to provide vital support to smokers to quit. Local national health service bodies provide quit support that is tailored to the needs of local communities. A range of guidance has been published on the provision of smoking cessation services by the Department and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). In May, Communities and Local Government published Working with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities: A guide for Stop Smoking Service managers.
	Smokers can also quit with free support from the NHS Smoking Helpline and 'Together' programme which provide information, advice and motivation by telephone, e-mail, post or by text message at key moments during the smoker's quitting process. The NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline and the Asian Tobacco Helpline are also in operation.
	The Department has provided the following funding to support the Government's national tobacco strategies set out as follows:
	The following table shows advertising expenditure on the dangers of smoking from 2003-04 to2007-08.
	
		
			  Expenditure on education campaigns financial year  Tobacco control ( million) 
			 2003-04 17.76 
			 2004-05 25.00 
			 2005-06 23.00 
			 2006-07 13.50 
			 2007-08 11.39 
		
	
	The Department awarded a grant of 2.67 million to Cancer Research UK (CRUK) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to fund the charity's Light and Mild campaign in 2003-04. A further grant of 3 million grant was made in 2006-07 for CRUK's media campaign on the harmful constituents of second-hand smoke.
	The Department awarded a grant of 5 million to British Heart Foundation (BHF) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to fund the charity's media campaign in 2004-05 on heart disease caused by smoking. A further grant of 4 million was made in 2005-06 to BHF for a media campaign highlighting the dangers of smoking and heart disease.
	In each year since 2003, 2 million has been funding allocated to the nationwide system of local tobacco alliances and the regional tobacco policy managers.
	
		
			  Financial year  Financial allocations to the national health service for stop smoking services ( million) 
			 2003-04 41 
			 2004-05 46 
			 2005-06 51 
			 2006-07 56 
			 2007-08 56 
		
	
	The Department's grants to Action on Smoking Health under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Grants () 
			 2003-04 164,000 
			 2004-05 168,000 
			 2005-06 180,000 
			 2006-07 185,400 
			 2007-08 191,000 
		
	
	The Department's grants to the No Smoking Day organisation are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Grants () 
			 2003-04 250,000 
			 2004-05 250,000 
			 2005-06 250,000 
			 2006-07 250,000 
			 2007-08 250,000 
		
	
	The Department's grants to QUIT (an organisation that provides support to smokers who want to quit smoking) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Grants () 
			 2003-04 20,000 
			 2004-05 25,000 
		
	
	Future funding for national tobacco control will be subject to the outcomes of the new national tobacco control strategy.

Smoking: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who have ceased smoking in the London Borough of Bexley since the introduction of the smoking ban.

Dawn Primarolo: Information is collected quarterly at primary care trust level on people accessing the NHS Stop Smoking Services who set a quit date and those who successfully quit smoking at the four-week follow up. However, information is not available about people who have ceased smoking independently.
	The smoke-free law was introduced in England on 1 July 2007, and the latest data available are for quarter three of 2007-08. The following table shows the number of people in Bexley care trust area accessing the NHS Stop Smoking Services who set a quit date and those who successfully quit smoking at the four-week follow up, for quarter two and quarter three of 2007-08 and the total for July 2007 to December 2007.
	
		
			  Number of people setting a quit date and number of successful quitters in Bexley care trust in 2007-08 
			  Period  Number setting a quit date  Number of successful quitters 
			 Quarter two (July to September 2007) 483 328 
			 Quarter three (October to December 2007) 446 238 
			 Total for July to December 2007 929 566 
			  Notes:  1. A client is counted as having successfully quit smoking if he/she has not smoked at all since two weeks after the quit date. The four-week follow-up (based on self report) must be completed within six weeks of the quit date. Persons not contacted within this time are treated as lost to follow-up for evaluation purposes.  2. Figures published in Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, July to December 2007 (quarter two and three bulletin) are provisional. Provisional results from the Stop Smoking Services are published on a quarterly basis. An annual bulletin will be published in August 2008 that represents finalised figures for the year April 2007 to March 2008.   Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care: Lifestyle Statistics, Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England.

Smoking: Young People

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated smoking prevalence rates were amongst  (a) 11 to 15,  (b) 16 to 19 and  (c) 20 to 24 year-olds in each year since 1998; and if he will make a statement on the trends.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 14 July 2008
	Smoking prevalence rates among 11 to 15, 16 to 19 and 20 to 24 year-olds in each year since 1998 are set out in the following table. There has been a decrease in prevalence of cigarette smoking among all three age groups since 1998, particularly among those aged 16 or over.
	
		
			  Prevalence of cigarette smoking by age band, England 
			  Percentage 
			   1998  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Age 
			 11 to 15(1) 11 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 
			 16 to 19(2) 31 30 28 25 25 26 25 20 
			 20 to 24(2) 40 36 37 38 36 33 32 31 
			 (1) Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England 2006, Information Centre for health and social care. (2) General Household Survey 2006, Office for National Statistics.  Note:  Data are not available for 1999.

Smoking: Young People

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the main predictors of regular smoking among young people; and what steps he is taking to tackle them.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government remain concerned about youth uptake of smoking. Around two-thirds of smokers say they started to regularly smoke before they turned 18.
	Protecting children and young people is one of the key areas within the Government's recently published 'Consultation on the Future of Tobacco Control', and includes references to the predictors of regular smoking by young people. Copies of the consultation have already been placed in the Library.

Smoking: Young People

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the influence of smoking imagery on young people.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has received a report from the British Medical Association entitled 'Forever cool: the influence of smoking imagery on young people'. The report calls for a range of measures to reduce young people's exposure to positive images of smoking.
	The Department has recently published 'A Consultation on the Future of tobacco control'. Copies of the consultation have already been placed in the Library. The consultation seeks views on protecting children and young people from smoking. The paper includes the evidence on the influence of tobacco promotion on young people and seeks views on banning the display of tobacco products in retail outlets.

JUSTICE

Young People: Reoffending

Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent young people convicted of knife and gun crime from reoffending.

Jack Straw: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary yesterday gave further details to this House of the new national knife crime programme in the eight police areas where knife crime is most prevalent. The courts have made clear their increasingly tough approach. Sir Igor Judge, now Lord Chief Designate said in the case of Povey
	Even if the offender does no more than carry the weapon, even when the weapon is not used to threaten or cause fear, when considering the seriousness of the offence courts should bear in mind the harm which the weapon might foreseeably have caused. So the message is stark. This is a serious offence and it should be treated with the seriousness it deserves.

Circuit Judges

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the provision of circuit judges for child care cases in north and mid Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: One, in a letter from the hon. Gentleman on 8 July 2008. The complement of circuit judges has been reduced by the unfortunate illness of His Honour Judge Dafydd Hughes and the delay in securing a district judge replacement at Rhyl. However, no judicial time has been lost, and replacement judges have been found to cover all existing cases listed in the North Wales courts.

Voting Rights

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to extend voting rights to sentenced prisoners in England and Wales.

Bridget Prentice: Following the European Court of Human Rights' judgment in the case of Hirst  v. UK requires the Government to reconsider their policy of a blanket ban on the voting rights of convicted prisoners. That requirement is a consequence of a judgment in the European Court of Human Rights and is something that would need to be implemented in the UK even if the Human Rights Act was not in place.
	In response, we undertook a first stage consultation which concluded in March 2007. However, since that point the context for the debate about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and in particular the exercise of the franchise, in the United Kingdom has changed significantly following the launch of the Governance of Britain Green Paper and publication of the Goldsmith Review.
	I can confirm that the Government remain committed to carrying out a second, more detailed public consultation on how voting rights might be granted to serving prisoners, and how far those rights should be extended. But we consider it essential that any changes to the law to extend the franchise to those held in custody are considered in the context of the wider development of policy on the franchise and the rights that attach to British citizenship.
	During April 2008 we provided the Committee of Ministers with a detailed note about implementing the Hirst judgment and we have undertaken to submit further information in due course on the form and timing of a further consultation in the light of the wider debate which is now taking place. Following consideration of the outcome of consultation, legislation to implement the Government's final approach will be brought forward as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Reoffending

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to reduce reoffending.

David Hanson: The Government are committed to reducing reoffending in England and Wales. In the last 10 years the Government have invested in a wide range of programmes to tackle the root causes of offending behaviour and punish and reform offenders. This is reflected in the Government's commitment to reduce the volume of reoffending and address the level of serious re-offences in the new 'Make Communities Safer' PSA 23. To provide strategic direction for this work and to promote an effective cross-government partnership response, I co-chair a Reducing Re-Offending Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) which includes Ministers from 14 Government Departments.

Community Sentences

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to tailor community sentences to women offenders.

Maria Eagle: The Government recognise that women offenders have specific needs which are being addressed in the design of community sentences in order to reducing their reoffending. The Community Order introduced in 2005 enables courts to tailor community sentences to the needs of all offenders. Both nationally and at probation area levels, we are looking to increase the provision of community-based sentences for women including the availability of women-only settings for their delivery. We are also looking to increase the skills and knowledge within the probation service to enable staff to deliver appropriate interventions that will enable more women to complete their sentence successfully.

Foreign Prisoners: Deportation

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the deportation of foreign prisoners on their release from prison.

David Hanson: I regularly have meetings and discussions with Home Office Ministers on a range of issues, including the deportation of foreign national prisoners.

Restraint: Secure Accommodation

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will publish the report on the use of restraint in secure accommodation facilities for young people.

David Hanson: The Government are giving careful consideration to the recommendations of the chairs of the independent review of restraint in juvenile secure settings, Andrew Williamson and Peter Smallridge. We intend to publish the chairs' full report alongside our response to its recommendations by the end of October.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what measures he has put in place to increase co-operation with other Government Departments to improve the rehabilitation of offenders.

David Hanson: The new suite of public service agreements (PSAs), and in particular the Home Office led 'Make Communities Safer' and Cabinet Office led 'Socially Excluded Adults' PSAs, provide important levers to support a cross-government focus on offender rehabilitation and reducing re-offending. To provide strategic direction for this work and to promote an effective cross-government partnership response, I co-chair a Reducing Re-Offending Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) which includes Ministers from 14 Government Departments. We have recently completed a formal consultation that builds on our partnership work to date and informs us in moving forward.

Sharia Law

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Lord Chief Justice on the use of sharia law in the arbitration of some disputes.

Bridget Prentice: The Lord Chief Justice and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor meet on a regular basis. The Lord Chief Justice set out his views on sharia law in a lecture on 2 July 2008 at the East London Muslim Centre.

Community Justice

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress is being made on implementing his policy on community justice; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Government want to work towards making community justice the norm. Therefore, we have set up 13 community justice courts across England and Wales with a view to testing the concept fully before extending out to all courts.
	We are taking the lessons learned from these projects and will be working during 2008 to help the magistrates courts improve engagement and involvement with the communities they serve.

Restorative Justice

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent consideration he has given to the use of restorative justice practices in the criminal justice system.

David Hanson: The Government are considering any encouragement they can provide to support continued growth of adult restorative justice, taking account of the research report published on 16 June on its impact on reoffending. Restorative justice is embedded in youth justice. Pilots of a new out of court disposal started in April 2008.

Knife Crime

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the adequacy of sentencing options for those persons convicted of a knife crime.

David Hanson: We have announced that anyone carrying a knife can expect to be prosecuted; and that a tough community penalty or custodial sentence will result.

Electoral Systems

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make a statement on his Department's review of electoral systems.

Michael Wills: We published the Review of Voting Systems earlier this year which considers the experience of the new voting systems introduced in the United Kingdom since 1997. The review forms part of the continuing debate on electoral reform. The White Paper on House of Lords reform, published yesterday, which includes a number of options on possible voting systems for elections to an elected second Chamber, contributes to this continuing debate.

Crime: Victims

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to ensure that victims' personal statements are  (a) encouraged,  (b) drawn to courts' attention and  (c) taken into account.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice has been reviewing the use of the victim personal statement. We are currently updating guidance for victims and CJS practitioners with a view to running an awareness raising campaign later this year.
	One example of the way in which use of the VPS in court has developed is via the CPS Victim Focus Scheme where (since October 2007) in cases of murder, manslaughter and qualifying cases involving road traffic fatalities the prosecutor will offer to read out in court a VPS made by a family member of the victim.

Crimes of Violence: Pregnant Women

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what statutory offences there are of causing a miscarriage through violence against a pregnant woman; and how many prosecutions there have been for such offences in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: Causing a miscarriage is an offence under section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Causing a child to die if the child is capable of being born alive is an offence under section 1 of the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929. Both are subject to the Abortion Act 1967, which makes the medical termination of pregnancy lawful in certain circumstances. Offences under these Acts do not differentiate between miscarriages caused by violence and other miscarriages.
	If a miscarriage is caused by violence, it would normally be dealt with as an offence of violence against the mother, such as assault causing actual bodily harm. In this case, the circumstances of the offence are not recorded separately.
	The information reported to the Ministry of Justice on court proceedings shows one prosecution for child destruction under section 1 of the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929 and no prosecutions under section 58 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 in 2006, the latest year for which data have been published. Data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the change has been in the number of employees in his Department and its agencies since July 2006.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007 bringing together the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and parts of the Home Office, namely the National Offender Management Service, which includes HM Prison Service and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
	The following figures show the number of employees for the former Department for Constitutional Affairs for the period mentioned, and for the first year of the new Ministry of Justice. The machinery of government change creating the new Ministry brought together several organisations from the Home Office, contributing to the significant increase against those figures for the former DCA. The new organisations account for 99 per cent. of the overall increase in the number of staff, most of whom work for HM Prison Service. Staff within the Probation Service are paid through a number of different arrangements with local authorities and are not included in these figures.
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice: Staff numbers 
			  F ull-time equivalents (FTEs) 
			March 
			   Staff  2006  2007  2008 
			 Former Department for Constitutional Affairs Permanent 24,069 24,567 24,594 
			  Casual 498 710 1,074 
			  
			 Ministry of Justice Permanent HM Prison Service   47,626 
			  Casual HM Prison Service   1,714 
			  Permanent NOMS and OCJR   1,751 
			  Casual NOMS and OCJR   303 
			 Total  24,567 25,277 77,062 
			 Increase   710 391

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of the victims of trafficking discovered by Pentameter II have been provided with legal representation.

Maria Eagle: All the victims that were referred to the UK Border Agency and the Poppy project will have had access to independent legal advice relating to immigration issues.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to establish more refuges for victims of trafficking throughout the UK.

Maria Eagle: This year we are investing a further 1.3 million into the Poppy project to support women trafficked into sexual exploitation. This covers the core bespoke support services, the outreach service and the continuation of the capacity building work that started during Operation Pentameter II which resulted in service level agreements being put in place with other women's refuges across the country.
	The Government have given their commitment to ratify the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Beings by the end of the year. This will require us to enhance our existing arrangements by continuing to build capacity to support these victims and to develop support arrangements for victims trafficked into forced labour.

Legal Services Commission: Complaints

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many claims for redress and compensation the Legal Services Commission received in respect of  (a) the unified contract,  (b) online services provided by the Commission and  (c) late payments by the Commission in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09; what action the Commission has taken in response; and which claims remain outstanding;
	(2)  how the Legal Services Commission records complaints under its complaints procedures; what complaints databases it maintains; what classes of information are recorded on such databases; which departments in the Commission maintain records of complaints; and what grade of official is responsible for the  (a) entry,  (b) verification and accuracy,  (c) audit and  (d) security of the data of such information;
	(3)  how many complaints handlers there are within the Legal Services Commission to handle complaints made to the Commission; and where each is located;
	(4)  how many complaints were received about information relating to account holders' payments held by the Legal Services Commission being  (a) sent to the wrong suppliers and  (b) sent in a unusable format since 1April 2008;
	(5)  how many payments have not been made by the Legal Services Commission on the due date to suppliers since 1 April 2008;
	(6)  how many of the complaints under the Legal Services Commission's complaints procedures have been made by  (a) hon. Members,  (b) those seeking legal services funded by the Legal Services Commission and  (c) providers of services funded by the Legal Services Commission in each year since 2004-05;
	(7)  how many telephone complaints have been made to (a) the Chief Executive's Office,  (b) the Central Customer Service Unit and  (c) the North of England Regional Office of the Legal Services Commission on (i) non-compliance with the Commission's complaints procedure guarantee and (ii) failures to respond to complaints about the Commission's non-compliance with its complaint procedure guarantee; and in what form such complaints were recorded;
	(8)  how much in due payments was not processed by the date due by the Legal Services Commission since 1 April 2008;
	(9)  what  (a) interest,  (b) compensation and  (c) other costs have been paid by the Legal Services Commission to suppliers to whom the Commission failed to make due payments by the due date since 1 April 2008.

Maria Eagle: Seven members of staff work in the Legal Services Commission's Central Customer Service Unit in London, which is responsible for handling complaints. Many other staff deal with a wide range of telephone, email and written inquiries from both providers and clients in the LSCs other offices including the regions and Wales. The information is not held centrally in the format requested and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Minister of State plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire dated 15 May 2008, on prisoners' pay (Reference: 201584).

David Hanson: I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member. A letter has been issued today.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) convicted for the fraudulent registration of vehicles in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Data collected centrally combine all the offences within the offence group Fraud, forgery etc. associated with registration and licensing documents. As a result we are unable to identify separately prosecutions involving fraud for offences under ss. 44 and 45 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994.

Parole

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were dealt with by the Parole Board's  (a) oral hearings team and  (b) paper hearings team in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Information from the Parole Board about the number of cases dealt with by their oral hearings team and paper hearings team in each of the last five years is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   (a) Number of oral hearings  (b) Number of paper hearings 
			 2003-04 2,372 15,069 
			 2004-05 2,317 16,617 
			 2005-06 2,982 16,824 
			 2006-07 3,402 22,526 
			 2007-08 4,518 26,654

Parole

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) average,  (b) maximum and  (c) minimum period was between prisoners becoming eligible for a Parole Board (i) oral hearing and (ii) paper hearing and the hearing taking place in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The Parole Board does not hold this information and it is not available from any other source.

Parole

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are awaiting a decision letter following a Parole Board  (a) oral hearing and  (b) paper hearing.

David Hanson: The Parole Board has a target of issuing oral hearing decisions within five working days and paper hearing decisions within two working days. Information from the Board is that on 9 July 2008, 13 oral hearing cases and 18 paper hearing cases were awaiting the issue of a decision letter.

Parole

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners are awaiting a Parole Board oral hearing.

David Hanson: I am advised by the Parole Board that there were 949 prisoners awaiting an oral hearing at the end of June 2008.

Parole

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements the Parole Board has made to protect the security and confidentiality of communications between its staff and prisoners' solicitors.

David Hanson: In response to Government initiatives at the beginning of this year, the Parole Board carried out a general review of security matters throughout their organisation including the way in which communication is conducted with prisoners' representatives. A new security policy and manual for staff was issued in April 2008.

Parole

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Parole Board dossiers were destroyed in each of the last 12 months; and on what criteria the decisions to authorise their destruction were based.

David Hanson: I am advised by the Parole Board that for the period between June 2007 and June 2008, 323 files were destroyed. It is normal practice for files for oral hearing cases to be destroyed after nine months from the date of the hearing unless further action has been initiated.

Parole Board: Civil Proceedings

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions legal proceedings were brought against the Parole Board for alleged failure to release prisoners in a timely fashion in each of the last five years; in how many of these cases the proceedings were successful; and how much compensation was paid in respect of each.

David Hanson: The Parole Board does not hold records of all claims for compensation, only those where a payment is made. In some cases, payment may have been ex-gratia and not necessarily as a result of successful legal proceedings. Records of payments made in compensation for unacceptable delays in conducting a hearing have been kept by the Parole Board since April 2006. There have been 29 payments made since then and the amounts of each of these are contained in the following table:
	
		
			
			 1 7,500 
			 2 500 
			 3 1,500 
			 4 4,000 
			 5 600 
			 6 807.50 
			 7 4,000 
			 8 2,231.55 
			 9 2,000 
			 10 1,750 
			 11 1,500 
			 12 3,000 
			 13 2,000 
			 14 6,000 
			 15 5,000 
			 16 1,500 
			 17 1,750 
			 18 4,500 
			 19 3,000 
			 20 1,500 
			 21 3,000 
			 22 1,500 
			 23 10,000 
			 24 10,000 
			 25 5,000 
			 26 3,000 
			 27 2,000 
			 28 12,000 
			 29 2,000 
			 Total 103,139.05

Parole Board: Correspondence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements the Parole Board has for sorting incoming mail; whether there have been changes to the arrangements in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: I am informed by the Parole Board that their incoming mail is initially scanned centrally for suspect devices, as is all mail for secure Government buildings in London. It is then delivered by Government messenger service to the board's London offices. The mail is not opened until it has been received by individual teams within the board who then open and action the mail. Following a recent review a new central services team will be set up to handle incoming mail once it arrives with the board and will be supported by a new post database that has been developed for that purpose.

Parole Board: Lost Property

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Parole Board dossiers have been lost in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: The Parole Board is not aware of any dossiers being lost during this period.

Parole Board: Manpower

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many caseworkers were employed by the Parole Board to deal with  (a) oral hearings and  (b) paper hearings in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Information from the Parole Board on the numbers of caseworkers employed to deal with oral and paper hearings is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			  (a) Number of caseworkers on oral hearings 
			   Permanent  Temp/agency 
			 2004-05 23 2 
			 2005-06 27 4 
			 2006-07 29 1 
			 2007-08 29 5 
			 2008-09 24 7 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Number of caseworkers on paper hearings 
			   Permanent  Temp/agency 
			 2004-05 16 1 
			 2005-06 13 5 
			 2006-07 11 8 
			 2007-08 15 6 
			 2008-09 13 4

Parole Board: Manpower

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) civil servants,  (b) permanent non-civil service employees and  (c) temporary or agency workers were employed at the Parole Board in each month since January 2007.

David Hanson: Information from the Parole Board about the number of staff they employed in each month since January 2007 is contained in the following table.
	
		
			   (a) Civil servants  (b) Non civil-servants  (c) Temporary or agency workers 
			 January 2007 27 41 8 
			 February 2007 27 41 12 
			 March 2007 26 40 15 
			 April 2007 26 45 9 
			 May 2007 26 46 13 
			 June 2007 26 45 14 
			 July 2007 26 45 22 
			 August 2007 26 43 24 
			 September 2007 26 41 24 
			 October 2007 26 40 19 
			 November 2007 26 41 21 
			 December 2007 26 41 22 
			 January 2008 26 41 24 
			 February 2008 26 41 24 
			 March 2008 26 41 24 
			 April 2008 25 41 22 
			 May 2008 24 40 25 
			 June 2008 24 40 27 
			 July 2008 22 40 29

Political Parties: Finance

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the last Home Department guidance that was produced on election expense triggering under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1983, prior to the Political Parties and Elections Act 2000.

Bridget Prentice: Officials have looked through departmental archives and have been unable to find a copy of such guidance. The fundamental provisions were of long standing and there were a number of publications relating to the operation of triggering for candidates and prospective candidates to consider. It is intended that, when legislation is brought forward to implement the proposals to regulate candidate expenditure outlined in the recent White Paper Party finance and expenditure in the United Kingdom (Cm 7329), the Electoral Commission will be given a specific power to provide guidance in this area.

Prisoners Release: Yorkshire and the Humber

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been released on end of custody licence from prison in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) Leeds Metropolitan District and  (c) Yorkshire and Humberside in each year since the scheme began.

Jack Straw: The available information on numbers released by establishments is published monthly in Table 2 of the statistical bulletin End of Custody Licence releases and recalls' available from the Library of the House and the Ministry of Justice website at the following address:
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	The following table gives the available information on numbers of prisoners who were released under the end of custody licence (ECL) scheme from the date the scheme came into effect on 29 June 2007 to 31 May 2008, by each prison in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
	
		
			   Total releases( 1) 
			 Askham Grange 11 
			 Everthorpe 401 
			 Hull 220 
			 Leeds 313 
			 Lindholme 399 
			 Moorland 214 
			 Moorland Open 166 
			 New Hall 359 
			 Northallerton 473 
			 Wealstun 226 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside public prison establishments 2,782 
			   
			 Doncaster 924 
			 Wolds 42 
			 Contracted out prison establishments 966 
			   
			 Total 3,748 
			 (1) 29 June 2007 to 31 May 2008 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Construction

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress the Government have made in their prison capacity building programme.

David Hanson: The prison capacity programme will provide an additional 20,000 prison places and an increase overall capacity to just over 96,000 by 2014.
	The programme has to date delivered 3,140 prison places and will provide a further 1,000 prison places this year.

Road Traffic Offences: Foreigners

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of motorists  (a) fined and  (b) convicted of motoring offences while using a foreign licence in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Driving without a valid licence is an offence under section 87 (1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The Court Proceedings Database held by my Department identifies proceedings and convictions under section 87 (1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Information on the UK or foreign origin of those licences is not collected.

Womens Prisons: Young Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women in custody aged 17 years old were placed on wings with adult female prisoners in each of the last 12 months, broken down by prison; how long each spent on those wings; and what the reasons were for those transfers or placements.

David Hanson: The number of young women aged 17 years placed on wings with adult female prisoners in each of the last 12 months, is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of young women aged 17 years placed on wings with adult female prisoners in each of the last 12 months 
			  Establishment  Number placed on adult wing/unit  Duration on wing/unit (Days)  Reason for transfer/placement 
			 Askham Grange 1 383 Planned moved to mother and baby unit 
			 New Hall 1 86 Planned move due to medical reasons 
			 Low Newton 1 3 Population management 
			 Peterborough 1 2 Population management

Womens Prisons: Young Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women in custody aged 17 years have been placed in adult prison detoxification units in the last 12 months, broken down by prison; and how long each stayed in those units.

David Hanson: Figures for the number of women aged 17 years placed in adult detoxification units in the last 12 months are not held centrally. Establishments are unable to provide the figures within the time allocated for answer. Figures can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Arabic Language: Education

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in each local authority area offered Arabic teaching at the latest date for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on subjects offered by schools at GCSE or A level.
	Figures relating to schools that entered pupils into Arabic can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been allocated to each school under the Building Schools for the Future programme to date.

Jim Knight: The following table details the projected funding which Partnerships for Schools plans to allocate to Building Schools for the Future projects which have reached Outline Business Case (OBC). Funding is provided to local authorities as an 'envelope' based on formulaic allocations. It is the responsibility of local authorities to allocate resources to individual schools in accordance with local priorities. As projects develop, the funding allocations are updated, so it is likely that these figures will change.
	Funding levels are not allocated for projects in BSF until they have reached OBC.
	
		
			   Funding ( million) 
			  Local a uthority  Non PFI  PFI 
			 Bradford 20 311 
			 Bristol 32 157 
			 Greenwich 57 184 
			 Knowsley 4 250 
			 Lancashire 49 252 
			 Leeds 150 186 
			 Leicester 165 151 
			 Lewisham 86 230 
			 Manchester 202 0 
			 Newcastle 107 132 
			 Newham 97 65 
			 Sheffield 76 89 
			 Solihull 30 87 
			 STaG 157 69 
			 Sunderland 119 0 
			 Waltham Forest 62 54 
			 Birmingham 261 102 
			 Hackney 152 0 
			 Haringey 184 0 
			 Islington 85 113 
			 Lambeth 87 0 
			 Liverpool 153 0 
			 Middlesbrough 114 0 
			 Nottingham 146 76 
			 Tower Hamlets 88 0 
			 Barnsley 28 324 
			 Derbyshire 60 65 
			 Durham 75 79 
			 Kent 179 99 
			 Luton 108 34 
			 North Lincs 89 0 
			 Salford 34 192 
			 Sandwell 137 63 
			 Southwark 134 85 
			 Tameside 82 128 
			 Westminster 159 0 
			 Blackburn 85 119 
			 Cambridgeshire 87 62 
			 Rochdale 117 132

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding has been allocated from the Building Schools for the Future programme to National Challenge schools  (a) in the last and  (b) for the next three financial years.

Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) funding is provided to local authorities as an 'envelope' to allow allocation of resources to individual schools reflecting the local view on priorities and needs. Details of allocations to BSF local authorities are included in the answer to the hon. Member's question 217532.
	Fifteen secondary schools, where in 2007 fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils attained five or more good GCSEs including English and mathematics, are expected to open in new or remodelled BSF buildings this financial year. A further 256 will benefit from funding as part of current Building Schools for the Future projects, either through Local Education Partnerships, the Partnerships for Schools National Framework or as One School Pathfinders. An additional 73 are included in pre-BSF private finance initiative projects, and 29 are being, or have been built under the DCSF Academies programme.

Children in Care: Young Offenders

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on collaborative measures to improve the performance of local authorities' care systems in  (a) preventing offending and  (b) reducing re-offending by looked-after children.

Beverley Hughes: There have been substantial discussions between the Secretaries of State on how to improve resettlement of young offenders during the development of the Youth Crime Action Plan which signals our intention to develop a comprehensive package of support for children leaving custody.
	A range of current legislation and guidance imposes duties on local authorities and professionals to ensure that looked-after children leaving custody are provided with the support and accommodation they need on release. Measures in the Children and Young Persons Bill will enable us to revise Children Act Guidance setting out how we expect local authorities to exercise their statutory duties to continue to plan for looked-after children throughout any period in custody which would necessarily include planning for their support in the community to minimise the risk of re-offending. Clause 16 of the Bill provides for power to be given to the Secretary of State to require the local authority to visit children who were provided with voluntary accommodation by the authority but who then loses their looked after status because they received a custodial sentence. The purpose of these visits will be to assess the support that the child may need on release from custody. It will be essential that children's and youth justice services coordinate any support needed to prevent re-offending.

Children: Disadvantaged

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate his Department has made of the number of children eligible for free school meals in Leeds West constituency in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Primary and secondary schools( 1) : Number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school mealsposition in January each year: 1997 to 2008Leeds, West parliamentary constituency 
			   Primary schools  Secondary schools 
			   Number of pupils( 2)  Number or pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 3)  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Number of pupils( 2)  Number or pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 3)  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1997 8,984 2,349 26.1 3,635 1,029 28.3 
			 1998 8,796 2,295 26.1 3,725 964 25.9 
			 1999 8,609 2,182 25.3 3,834 1,026 26.8 
			 2000 8,313 2,062 24.8 3,993 1,047 26.2 
			 2001 8,152 2,059 25.3 4,042 1,075 26.6 
			 2002 7,932 1,999 25.2 4,093 1,007 24.6 
			 2003 7,690 2,004 26.1 4,137 1,027 24.8 
			 2004 7,391 1,929 26.1 4,190 1,088 26.0 
			 2005 7,159 1,885 26.3 4,157 1,079 26.0 
			 2006 6,949 1,730 24.9 4,040 1,005 24.9 
			 2007 6,872 1,729 25.2 3,937 986 25.0 
			 2008 6,776 1,652 24.4 3,850 982 25.5 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. Also includes nursery schools, CTCs and academies (although none of these school types in Leeds, West). (2) Includes pupils with sole and dual main registration. (3) Pupils who are eligible and are claiming their free school meal entitlement.  Source: School Census

Class Sizes: Primary Education

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average class size in primary schools in England and Wales was in each of the last five years; what effect the personalised learning initiative is expected to have on class sizes; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The average class size in local authority maintained primary schools in England, including middle schools as deemed, has remained constant at 26.2 from 2004 to 2008, except in 2006 when it was 26.3. The figure for 2008 is based on provisional data: figures for other years are based on final data. The Department does not collect information for Wales.
	Rather than being a discrete initiative, 'personalised learning' means taking a highly structured and responsive approach to each child's and young person's learning, enabling all to progress, achieve and participate. Individual schools and teachers are best placed to tailor teaching to their pupils' needs. This may include teaching in different sized pupil groupings on different occasions, or using in-class grouping to allow pupils with a range of needs to work at an appropriate level. However, there is no expectation that by using personalised approaches to teaching and learning, schools will experience any change to their overall average class size as indicated.

Departmental Buildings

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) new builds and  (b) major refurbishments for a cost in excess of 0.5 million were completed by his Department and its predecessors in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has not completed any new builds within the years requested. Since 2006 a total of three major refurbishments, with a value in excess of 0.5 million, have been completed. This is broken down as follows; in 2005-06 nil, in 2006-07 two and in 2007-08 one.

Departmental Pay

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of staff of his Department did not receive the maximum bonus possible under a bonus scheme applying to them since the Department was established.

Kevin Brennan: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. For the 2007/08 performance year 74 per cent. of senior civil servants did not receive the maximum bonus that was paid. The pay settlement for Grade 6s and below has yet to be agreed.

Departmental Sick Leave

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many working days have been lost due to sickness amongst employees for which his Department and its predecessor were responsible for each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Cabinet Office has recently introduced a revised format for reporting sickness absence statistics across the civil service. The new format was introduced at the end of March 2008 and the reports now cover the period up to 31 March 2008. The figure for annual average working days lost due to sickness in my Department up to that date is 9.6 per staff member. The annual number of days lost 20,021.2.
	The Department was formed as part of the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. Sickness absence data for the Department's predecessor, the Department for Education and Skills, for 2006/07, 2005 and 2004, including the average number of days taken as sick leave is published on the civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp
	along with data for other Departments and agencies.
	Earlier sickness data are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Wastes

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to reduce the volume of waste produced by it and sent to landfill in each of the last two years.

Kevin Brennan: In 2005-06 a comprehensive waste management system was implemented across the Department for Education and Skills, the predecessor to the Department for Children Schools and Families. The aim of the system was to segregate as many waste streams as possible for reuse and recycling and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill to the lowest possible level.
	Between 2004-05 and 2006-07 the Department reduced the total amount of waste produced by 13.1 per cent. and recycled 55.8 per cent. of all waste. In 2006/07, 38.6 per cent. of waste produced was sent to landfill compared to 51.5 per cent. in 2005/06.
	The use of disposable products and packaging is kept to a minimum and as much of this is recycled as possible. Examples of the waste streams that are segregated and recycled include plastic and metal beverage and food containers as well as glass bottles and jars.

Education: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils who gained level 4 or above in key stage 2 tests in  (a) reading,  (b) writing and  (c) mathematics in 2004 did not gain level 5 or above in the corresponding key stage 3 tests in 2007.

Jim Knight: The figures required can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of pupils 
			   Achieving level 4 or above in KS2 in 2004, and not achieving level 5 or above in KS3 in 2007  Achieving level 4 or above in KS2 in 2004 and with eligible results for KS3 in 2007  With eligible results for both KS2 in 2004 and KS3 in 2007 
			 English 47,994 441,736 572,283 
			 Mathematics 27,723 424,518 574,850 
		
	
	Figures for reading and writing separately can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what dates  (a) he and  (b) the Schools Minister has met (i) ETS, (ii) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and (iii) the National Assessment Agency to discuss the administration and marking of the key stage tests in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State have met ETS. We do, however, regularly meet with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, of which the National Assessment Agency is a division. Recent meetings have included discussions on the administration and marking of key stage tests in 2008, which are now the subject of an independent inquiry being chaired by Lord Sutherland.

Extended Schools

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criteria he used to select the areas which will pilot the extended schools subsidy.

Beverley Hughes: DCSF selected local authorities to participate in the extended schools subsidy pathfinder on the basis of Government office nominations. DCSF asked each Government office to nominate two local authorities and two reserves to participate in the extended schools subsidy pathfinder.
	DCSF asked Government offices to consider the following issues in making their nominations:
	The need for the 18 pathfinder local authorities to reflect a representative national range of characteristics. For example, urban/rural, high deprivation across the authority/pockets of deprivation in a more affluent authority.
	To nominate authorities whose schools are well on the way to meeting the extended school core offer.
	To nominate authorities according to the Government office's judgment of LA's capacity to deliver the pathfinders.

Fair Trade Initiative

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1539W, on the Fairtrade initiative, what Fairtrade products are  (a) available for purchase in his Department's staff catering facilities and  (b) offered at official departmental meetings and engagements; what value of Fairtrade produce was purchased in his Department's staff catering facilities in each of the last three financial years; and what percentage this represented of total revenue.

Kevin Brennan: Fairtrade products that are available for purchase within the Department for Children, Schools and Families include: coffee, tea, fruit juices, confectionery, snack bars and fresh fruit. Proceeds from the sale of bottled water are used by the charity ONEWATER to fund the provision of clean water projects in Africa. All tea and coffee supplied for official internal departmental meetings and engagements is Fairtrade.
	Information on breakdown of sales in respect of fair-trade products is not held by the Department and would incur disproportionate costs to obtain from the commercial supplier.

Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families from which five countries of origin the greatest amount of food was procured by his Department in the last year for which figures are available; and what the  (a) cost and  (b) quantity procured was in each case.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families catering service is contracted out and the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate costs. A report was produced by DEFRA and issued to Parliament on the proportion of domestically produced food used in Government Departments during the period 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007. DEFRA proposes to publish data on the value of contracts let for food and catering contracts (including the value of food provided under the catering contracts) by the end of 2008 which will allow calculations to be made.

GCE A-level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many schools for pupils aged 11 to 18 years old do not offer an A-level physics course;
	(2)  how many schools for 11 to 18 years olds do not offer an A-level course in a modern language.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on schools that offer particular subjects at A level.
	The number and percentage of secondary schools that entered pupils into physics and a modern foreign language in 2006-07 are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of secondary schools with sixth forms that entered pupils into subject  Percentage of secondary schools with sixth forms that entered pupils into subject 
			 Physics 1,994 85.0 
			 French 1,677 71.5 
			 German 1,207 51.4 
			 Spanish 904 38.5 
			 Other modern language 990 42.2 
			 Any modern language 2,001 85.3 
			  Notes: 1. The figures relate to 16-18 year olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2006) in secondary schools that entered pupils into GCEA levels. 2. Other Modern Languages' include 'Arabic', 'Bengali', 'Chinese', 'Dutch', 'Gujarati', 'Italian', 'Japanese', 'Panjabi', 'Persian', 'Polish', 'Portuguese', 'Russian', 'Turkish' and 'Urdu'

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils did not obtain a C grade or above at GCSE, excluding equivalents, in 2007.

Jim Knight: This question has been answered in the reply to PQ 187634 on 25 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1276W.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils who gained five GCSEs at A*-C in 2007 gained a good GCSE in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics,  (c) science,  (d) a modern foreign language and  (e) either history or geography.

Jim Knight: In 2007, 402,411 pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieved 5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalent. Of these, the numbers and percentages of pupils gaining an A*-C GCSE in the subjects listed is given in the following table.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 English 388,198 96.5 
			 Mathematics 352,909 87.7 
			 Science 331,114 82.3 
			 Modern Foreign Language 198,382 49.3 
			 Either Geography or History 221,131 55.0

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils eligible to sit  (a) mathematics,  (b) English and  (c) science GCSEs in 2007 were not entered for an examination in each subject;
	(2)  how many pupils did not gain a GCSE in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics and  (c) science in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The following table shows how many pupils at the end of key stage 4 were eligible to sit GCSEs in English, mathematics and science in 2007, and of these pupils how many were not entered for the exams or did not gain a GCSE in these exams.
	
		
			  Subject  Number of eligible pupils  Number of eligible pupils not entered for an examination  Number of eligible pupils attempting examination but not achieving an A*-G grade 
			 English 649,200 29,700 9,000 
			 Mathematics 649,200 32,300 18,900 
			 Science 649,200 49,500 13,500 
		
	
	These figures can be derived from figures in tables 1 and 10 of the Statistical First Release 'GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England, 2006/07 (Revised)', available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what effect he expects the introduction of functional skills to have on GCSE results compared with previous years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Functional skills qualifications are currently being piloted and our intention is that, for GCSEs awarded from 2012, students taking mathematics, English or ICT should have to achieve the relevant FS qualification at L2 in order to obtain a grade C or above at GCSE. Level 2 functional skills qualifications are designed to be of a similar level of challenge to GCSE grade A*-C. As they assess different skills the pilot will test the potential effect on GCSE attainment, through analysis of results in the pilot assessments.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals gained 10 good GCSEs in 2007.

Jim Knight: 77,776 pupils gained 10 or more GCSE grades A*-C in 2006/07. This was 13.1 per cent. of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools.
	2,533 pupils eligible to receive free school meals gained 10 or more GCSE grades A*-C in 2006/07. This was 3.3 per cent. of eligible pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools.

Mathematics: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils sitting GCSEs in  (a) mathematics and  (b) English in 2007 received a grade (i) D, (ii) E, (iii) F, (iv) G and (v) U.

Jim Knight: Table 13 of the Statistical First Release 'GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England, 2006-07 (Revised)' shows GCSE results of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in schools, by subject and grade. This SFR is available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml

Music: Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of key stage  (a) 1 and  (b) 2 pupils received specialist instrumental and vocal tuition within maintained schools in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 July 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 19 November,  Official Report, column 637W. While this information is not routinely collected by the Department, the Institute of Education, University of London, was commissioned in 2007 to collect data on local authority music services provision. The 2007 survey built on previous surveys and there was a 90 per cent. response rate.
	The following tables provided in my reply last November have now been updated with the 2007 data.
	
		
			  Academic year  Percentage of KS1 pupils reported as receiving specialist instrumental or vocal tuition  Percentage of KS2 pupils reported as receiving specialist instrumental or vocal tuition 
			 2001/02 (1) 12 
			 2004/05 2 13 
			 2006/07 4.5 13 
			 (1) Data not available for KS1  Note: Figures do not take account of music tuition provided by those operating outside of local authority arrangements. 
		
	
	Specific national funding to support the widening of opportunities for primary children to access instrumental and vocal provision began in 2003. Data from the surveys on participation in these programmes, which largely involve specialist music teachers, are reported in the following table.
	
		
			  Academic year  Percentage of KS1 pupils reported as being involved in wider opportunities activities  Percentage of KS2 pupils reported as being involved in wider opportunities activities 
			 2003/04 (1) 8 
			 2004/05 (1) 10 
			 2005/06 5 22 
			 2006/07 7.7 32.6 
			 (1) Data not available 
		
	
	The survey data predicted that the average percentage of children expected to be involved in a widening opportunities programme during the whole school year 2007/08 would rise to 12.5 per cent. for key stage 1 and 50.6 per cent. in key stage 2.

Music: Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications were received for funding from the fund established for the professional development of music teachers; how many have completed programmes funded as a result of such applications; and what the cost of the scheme has been to date.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 July 2008
	After a tender exercise in 2006, the contract to develop and deliver a programme of professional development for practitioners involved in music in primary schools was agreed with the Open university and Trinity college London. The 2 million funding for the programme has been for both the development and delivery of a national CPD programme, which is free for participants.
	Initial applications were received from just over 1,300 teachers and this resulted in 915 practitioners actively engaging with the programme. Of those who did not end up engaging with the programme, most withdrew before starting, due to change of circumstances and/or time constraints. Every practitioner has a mentor and an individualised training programme. A total of 312 mentors have been appointed and trained. Practitioners have been completing their portfolios for moderation and certification, and 132 completed portfolios have been received so far.
	The announcement of 332 million for music education over the next three years which was made last November includes 1 million a year for continued support for the programme of professional development for practitioners involved in music in primary schools: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2007_0216 We expect to train at least a further 3,000 key stage 2 practitioners during that time.

Music: Education

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effects of the 2 million fund for professional development of music teachers on instrumental and vocal tuition in maintained schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 14 July 2008
	Evaluation of the programme of professional development for practitioners involved in music in primary schools is ongoing and extensive. Processes which support review and evaluation are integral to the programme and are crucial to ensuring the best possible outcomes in terms of impact of professional practice and the continuing development of the programme for the next three years.
	Formal evaluation is central to all aspects of the programme and includes: mentor's observations of practitioner's lessons; practitioner's evaluations of all the workshops they attend as well as online evaluation at the end of their programme; online forums for workshop leaders to inform and support each other; and the regular observation of workshops and visits to practitioners in schools to evaluate the impact of the programme on practice. The final report on the impact of the programme to 2008, including case studies, is expected to be provided to the Department in the autumn.

Primary Education: Standards

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 640W, on primary education: standards, how many and what proportion of children who received free school meals achieved the national standard in each Key Stage 1 examination in each year since 1995.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 10 July 2008
	The following tables show how many and what proportion of children who receive free school meals achieved the national standard in the reading, writing, mathematics and science Key Stage 1 examinations in each year since 2002. These figures can only be provided from 2002 as this was the first year pupil level characteristics information was collected.
	
		
			  Achievements at Key Stage 1 in reading, by free school meal eligibility and gender, years: 2002-07( 1) coverage: England 
			   Number of pupils  Level 2 and above 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2006-07( 2) 
			  Boys  
			 FSM 54,507 52,395 55,486 51,714 48,989 48,364 63 63 64 64 63 63 0.0 
			 Non-FSM 241,474 239,104 240,697 235,426 236,738 229,350 84 84 85 85 84 83 -1.0 
			 Unclassified 1,349 1,127 1,348 1,260 1,360 1,253 50 45 49 45 44 42 -2.0 
			 All pupils 297,330 292,626 297,531 288,400 287,087 278,967 80 80 81 81 80 80 0.0 
			   
			  Girls  
			 FSM 51,645 50,398 53,240 49,558 47,025 45,857 74 75 76 76 76 75 -1.0 
			 Non-FSM 229,715 226,544 229,181 223,051 224,461 218,827 91 91 92 92 91 91 0.0 
			 Unclassified 1,292 1,131 1,192 1,196 1,205 1,213 56 56 55 54 51 49 -2.0 
			 All pupils 282,652 278,073 283,613 273,805 272,691 265,897 88 88 89 89 89 88 -1.0 
			   
			  Total  
			 FSM 106,152 102,793 108,726 101,272 96,014 94,221 69 69 70 70 69 69 0.0 
			 Non-FSM 471,189 465,648 469,878 458,477 461,199 448,177 88 88 88 89 88 87 -1.0 
			 Unclassified 2,641 2,258 2,540 2,456 2,565 2,466 53 51 52 49 47 45 -2.0 
			 All pupils 579,982 570,699 581,144 562,205 559,778 544,864 84 84 85 85 84 84 0.0 
			   
			  Non-FSM/FSM gap 
			 Boys   21.0 21.0 20.6 21.0 21.0 20.0 -1.0 
			 Girls   17.0 16.0 15.8 16.0 15.0 16.0 1.0 
			 Total   19.0 19.0 18.3 19.0 19.0 18.0 -1.0 
			 (1) Figures from 2002 are final, figures from 2003 and 2007 are provisional and figures from 2004, 2005 and 2006 are revised. (2) Difference. 
		
	
	
		
			  Achievements at Key Stage 1 in writing, by free school meal eligibility and gender, years: 2002-07( 1) coverage: England 
			   Number of pupils  Level 2 and above 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2006-07( 2) 
			  Boys  
			 FSM 54,507 52,395 55,488 51,721 48,989 48,363 65 57 58 59 57 56 -1.0 
			 Non-FSM 241,474 239,109 240,697 235,428 236,738 229,353 86 80 80 81 80 79 -1.0 
			 Unclassified 1,349 1,127 1,348 1,261 1,360 1,253 50 39 43 41 38 36 -2.0 
			 All pupils 297,330 292,631 297,533 288,410 287,087 278,969 82 76 76 77 76 75 -1.0 
			   
			  Girls  
			 FSM 51,646 50,399 53,240 49,560 47,025 45,858 78 72 74 74 73 71 -2.0 
			 Non-FSM 229,717 226,548 229,182 223,043 224,461 218,829 93 90 91 91 90 89 -1.0 
			 Unclassified 1,292 1,131 1,192 1,196 1,205 1,213 57 54 53 50 47 47 0.0 
			 All pupils 282,655 278,078 283,614 273,799 272,691 265,900 90 86 87 88 87 86 -1.0 
			   
			  Total  
			 FSM 106,153 102,794 108,728 101,281 96,014 94,221 72 64 66 66 65 63 -2.0 
			 Non-FSM 471,191 465,657 469,879 458,471 461,199 448,182 89 85 85 86 85 84 -1.0 
			 Unclassified 2,641 2,258 2,540 2,457 2,565 2,466 53 46 48 45 42 42 0.0 
			 All pupils 579,985 570,709 581,147 562,209 559,778 544,869 86 81 82 82 81 80 -1.0 
			   
			  Non-FSM/FSM gap 
			 Boys   21.0 23.0 22.5 22.0 23.0 23.0 0.0 
			 Girls   15.0 18.0 16.9 17.0 17.0 18.0 1.0 
			 Total   17.0 21.0 19.7 20.0 20.0 21.0 1.0 
			 (1) Figures from 2002 are final, figures from 2003 and 2007 are provisional and figures from 2004, 2005 and 2006 are revised. (2) Difference. 
		
	
	
		
			  Achievements at Key Stage 1 in  mathematics , by free school meal eligibility and gender, years: 2002-07( 1) coverage: England 
			   Number of pupils  Level 2 and above 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2006-07( 2) 
			  Boys  
			 FSM 54,507 52,395 55,488 51,726 48,989 48,364 79 79 78 79 78 78 0.0 
			 Non-FSM 241,474 239,108 240,697 235,442 236,738 229,349 92 92 91 92 91 91 0.0 
			 Unclassified 1,349 1,127 1,348 1,261 1,360 1,254 63 59 61 60 58 57 -1.0 
			 All pupils 297,330 292,630 297,533 288,429 287,087 278,967 89 89 89 90 89 88 -1.0 
			   
			  Girls  
			 FSM 51,645 50,399 53,240 49,571 47,025 45,857 82 82 82 83 82 82 0.0 
			 Non-FSM 229,717 226,548 229,182 223,061 224,461 218,828 94 94 94 94 94 93 -1.0 
			 Unclassified 1,292 1,131 1,192 1,196 1,205 1,213 64 64 64 63 61 61 0.0 
			 All pupils 282,654 278,078 283,614 273,828 272,691 265,898 91 91 91 92 92 91 -1.0 
			   
			  Total  
			 FSM 106,152 102,794 108,728 101,297 96,014 94,221 81 80 80 81 80 80 0.0 
			 Non-FSM 471,191 465,656 469,879 458,503 461,199 448,177 93 93 93 93 92 92 0.0 
			 Unclassified 2,641 2,258 2,540 2,457 2,565 2,467 63 62 63 62 60 59 -1.0 
			 All pupils 579,984 570,708 581,147 562,257 559,778 544,865 90 90 90 91 90 90 0.0 
			   
			  Non-FSM/FSM gap 
			 Boys   13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 0.0 
			 Girls   12.0 12.0 12.0 11.0 12.0 11.0 -1.0 
			 Total   12.0 13.0 13.0 12.0 12.0 12.0 0.0 
			 (1) Figures from 2002 are final, figures from 2003 and 2007 are provisional and figures from 2004, 2005 and 2006 are revised. (2) Difference. 
		
	
	
		
			  Achievements at Key Stage 1 in science, by free school meal eligibility and gender, years: 2002-07( 1) coverage: England 
			   Number of pupils  Level 2 and above 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2006-07( 2) 
			  Boys  
			 FSM n/a n/a n/a 51,724 48,989 48,361 n/a n/a n/a 76 75 75 0.0 
			 Non-FSM n/a n/a n/a 235,439 236,738 229,343 n/a n/a n/a 91 90 90 0.0 
			 Unclassified n/a n/a n/a 1,258 1,360 1,254 n/a n/a n/a 51 49 49 0.0 
			 All pupils n/a n/a n/a 288,421 287,087 278,958 n/a n/a n/a 88 88 87 -1.0 
			   
			  Girls  
			 FSM n/a n/a n/a 49,578 47,025 45,857 n/a n/a n/a 81 80 79 -1.0 
			 Non-FSM n/a n/a n/a 223,069 224,461 218,820 n/a n/a n/a 94 93 93 0.0 
			 Unclassified n/a n/a n/a 1,194 1,205 1,213 n/a n/a n/a 55 51 53 2.0 
			 All pupils n/a n/a n/a 273,841 272,691 265,890 n/a n/a n/a 91 91 90 -1.0 
			   
			  Total  
			 FSM n/a n/a n/a 101,302 96,014 94,218 n/a n/a n/a 78 78 77 -1.0 
			 Non-FSM n/a n/a n/a 458,508 461,199 448,163 n/a n/a n/a 92 92 91 -1.0 
			 Unclassified n/a n/a n/a 2,452 2,565 2,467 n/a n/a n/a 53 50 51 1.0 
			 All pupils n/a n/a n/a 562,262 559,778 544,848 n/a n/a n/a 90 89 89 ¦0.0 
			   
			  Non-FSM/FSM gap 
			 Boys   n/a n/a n/a 15.0 15.0 15.0 0.0 
			 Girls   n/a n/a n/a 13.0 13.0 14.0 1.0 
			 Total   n/a n/a n/a 14.0 14.0 14.0 0.0 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Figures from 2002 are final, figures from 2003 and 2007 are provisional and figures from 2004, 2005 and 2006 are revised. (2) Difference.

Pupil Exclusions

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils who received a permanent exclusion were  (a) placed in a mainstream school and  (b) placed in a pupil referral unit in each of the last 10 years.

Kevin Brennan: Information on the number of permanently excluded pupils who are placed in a mainstream school can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the number of permanently excluded pupils who are placed in a pupil referral unit is not available.

Pupil Referral Units: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals are attending pupil referral units.

Kevin Brennan: The requested information is given in the following table:
	
		
			  All schools, excluding independent schools: Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, as at January 2008, England 
			   Number of pupils( 1)  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 2)  Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals( 3)  Percentage of all pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals( 4) 
			 Mainstream schools(5) 7,422,420 1,074,630 14.5 96.8 
			 Special schools(6) 91,830 28,680 31.2 2.6 
			 Pupil referral units 25,290 6,790 26.8 0.6 
			 Total 7,539,530 1,110,090 14.7 100.0 
			 (1) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration. Also includes pupils with other providers in pupil referral units.  (2) Pupils who are eligible for and are claiming their free school meal entitlement.  (3) Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils in the same type of school.  (4) Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  (5) Includes maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, CTCs and academies.  (6 )Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.   Note:  Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools received a per pupil funding increase of below the minimum funding guarantee in each year since 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The minimum funding guarantee was introduced to the school funding system for the 2004-05 financial year. A schools forum may approve variations to the minimum funding guarantee proposed by the local authority that together affect no more than 50 per cent. of pupils in the authority's schools. The purpose of this provision is to allow local authorities and their schools forums to handle anomalies that may arise from the operation of the minimum funding guarantee, since the rules set down in the regulations are unable to cover all local circumstances. Where local authorities propose a variation to the minimum funding guarantee that will affect more than 50 per cent. of pupils, the Secretary of State's approval must be sought.
	The earliest available data are for 2004-05. Data have not been collected for all years, but figures for 2004-05 and 2005-06 are:
	 2004-05
	Primary: 436 from 18,031 schools received a per pupil increase below the MFG level of 3.4 per cent. (data are unavailable for 737 from the 18,031 schools).
	Secondary: one school from 3,431 schools received a per pupil increase below the MFG level of 3.4 per cent. (data are unavailable for 71 from the 3,431 schools).
	 2005-06
	Primary: 478 from 17,087 schools received a per pupil increase below the MFG level of 4.9 per cent.
	Secondary: three schools from 3,341 schools received a per pupil increase below the MFG level of 3.9 per cent.
	We do not hold information for 05-06 on the number of schools where data are unavailable.

Schools: Cadets

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on expanding cadet forces within state schools.

Jim Knight: The independent National Recognition of the Armed Forces study by my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham and Stamford (Mr. Davies) recommended expanding cadet forces within state schools. Lord Adonis and my hon. Friend the Member for Hatton (Derek Twigg), the Parliamentary Under Secretaries of State with policy responsibility for this area, have met twice in recent months to discuss the expansion of cadet forces in state schools, and our Departments will continue work closely together on this issue.

Schools: Cadets

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will hold discussions with teachers' professional bodies on access to cadet force provision in maintained schools.

Jim Knight: Access to cadet force provision is a matter for individual schools in discussion with the Ministry of Defence. We have no plans to hold discussions with the teachers' professional bodies on these matters at this stage.

Schools: International Cooperation

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) secondary and  (b) primary schools are not twinned with a school overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: These data are not collected centrally.

Schools: Safety

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance he has provided to  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools on road safety issues, with particular reference to the importance of wearing seat belts correctly; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department has not issued guidelines to schools on how children should wear seat belts correctly. In 2001 we issued Safety Education: Guidance for Schools, which includes general guidance on how road safety education may be provided. This guidance can be found at:
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/3111/Safety%20Education.pdf
	The Department also works with the Department for Transport and other stakeholders on road safety issues for children and young people.

Schools: Sanitation

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of toilets in English schools; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many schools in England only have outside toilets; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what survey records his Department holds on the provision of school toilets; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will review the adequacy of the standard of toilets in English schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Schools should put as much effort into designing and managing toilets as they do in building and managing other facilities. They should be clean, safe, well equipped and accessible. Children and young people themselves cite the state of school toilets as a top priority. It is unacceptable that they are put off using toilets at schools because they are badly designed, vandalised dirty or hang-outs for bullies. We want pupils to be healthy by drinking plenty of water throughout the day and they cannot do that without feeling safe to use the toilets.
	That is why last year for the first time we laid down clear guidance in the form of a specification for design so that schools can use the record amounts of investment in school buildings and facilities to provide the highest quality pupils' toilets. The guidance sets out specific design features to combat antisocial behaviour; suggests how floor space can be designed effectively and encourages local education authorities and schools to involve pupils in the design and management of the facilities to foster a sense of pride and ownership.
	The required number of toilets in schools in England is set out in the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999. Responsibility for applying the requirements of these regulations rests with local education authorities.
	Schools and local education authorities should comply with the requirements of the School Premises Regulations and the HSE Workplace Regulations regarding hygiene and cleanliness then school toilet accommodation will be adequate. But these are minimum requirements and we want more than that which is why we issued the guidance last year.
	In the first term of Government, the last 450 primary schools with outside toilets had them replaced. We are not aware of any remaining schools in England which only have access to outside toilets.
	We do not hold survey records on the provision of school toilets but we are confident that local education authorities will have assessed their toilet accommodation as part of asset management planning and together with the schools will have remedied most inadequacies by now.
	The bulk of schools capital is allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local asset management planning priorities, including the upgrading of toilet and washroom facilities. Research on the use of devolved formula capital shows that around a fifth of schools have improved toilets each year from 2003-04 to 2006-07.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under 700 million in 1996-97 to 6.7 billion in 2008-09 and will rise further to 8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to upgrade toilets.
	At present we are reviewing the School Premises Regulations and will consult on them in due course.

Schools: Sports

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when the Steering Group for the PE, School Sport and Club Links Strategy last met; and what future meetings are planned;
	(2)  if he will make his policy to involve the Association for Physical Education in the delivery of the National School Sport Strategy.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 10 July 2008
	Through their membership of the consortium contracted to deliver the PE and Sport Professional Development Programme, AfPE continue to be involved in delivering the national PE and Sport Strategy for Young People. The programme manager also has bi-lateral meetings with AfPE on a regular basis.
	The last meeting of the PE, School Sport and Club Links Delivery Board was held on 18 January. Since then, new governance arrangements for overseeing the delivery of the new PE and Sport Strategy for Young People have been introduced. Within these new arrangements, the last monthly Management Board was held on 17 June.

Secondary Education: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which National Challenge schools are  (a) academies,  (b) foundation schools and  (c) Fresh Start schools.

Jim Knight: Information about schools with published results where fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieved at least five good GCSEs including English and mathematics in 2007 is in the following tables:
	
		
			  (a) Academies  
			 The Barnsley Academy Barnsley 
			 The Business Academy Bexley Bexley 
			 Capital City Academy Brent 
			 The City Academy Bristol Bristol, City of 
			 West London Academy Ealing 
			 Greig City Academy Haringey 
			 Stockley Academy Hillingdon 
			 The Leigh Technology Academy(1) Kent 
			 The Marlowe Academy Kent 
			 David Young Community Academy Leeds 
			 Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy Lewisham 
			 North Liverpool Academy Liverpool 
			 The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi Liverpool 
			 Manchester Academy Manchester 
			 St. Marks Church of England Academy Merton 
			 Harris Academy Merton Merton 
			 Unity City Academy Middlesbrough 
			 Northampton Academy Northamptonshire 
			 John Madejski Academy Reading 
			 Sheffield Park Academy Sheffield 
			 Sheffield Springs Academy Sheffield 
			 Grace Academy Solihull 
			 The Academy at Peckham Southwark 
			 The Gateway Academy Thurrock 
			 Walthamstow Academy Waltham Forest 
			 Westminster Academy Westminster 
			 Paddington Academy Westminster 
			 (1) Leigh Technology Academy was a City Technology College at the time of the 2007 results. 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Foundation Schools  
			 Dame Elizabeth Cadbury Technology College Birmingham 
			 Baverstock Foundation School and Specialist Sports College Birmingham 
			 George Tomlinson School Bolton 
			 Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College Bradford 
			 John Kelly Boys' Technology College Brent 
			 Kelsey Park Sports College Bromley 
			 Coleridge Community College Cambridgeshire 
			 St. Peter's School Cambridgeshire 
			 Haling Manor High School Croydon 
			 North Cumbria Technology College Cumbria 
			 Morton School Cumbria 
			 Merrill College Derby 
			 Noel-Baker Community School and Language College Derby 
			 Albany School Enfield 
			 Barstable School Essex 
			 Alderman Blaxill School Essex 
			 King Harold School Essex 
			 Sir Charles Lucas Arts College Essex 
			 Chalvedon School Essex 
			 Colbayns High School Essex 
			 The Rickstones School Essex 
			 Furtherwick Park School Essex 
			 Sawyers Hall College Essex 
			 Central Technology College Gloucestershire 
			 Beaufort Community School Gloucestershire 
			 Pittville School Gloucestershire 
			 Maidenhill School Gloucestershire 
			 Cheltenham Kingsmead Gloucestershire 
			 Dyke House Comprehensive School Hartlepool 
			 Bushey Hall School Hertfordshire 
			 Cheshunt School Hertfordshire 
			 Harlington Community School Hillingdon 
			 Mellow Lane School Hillingdon 
			 King Ethelbert School Kent 
			 Aylesford SchoolSports College Kent 
			 Pent Valley School Kent 
			 Minster College Kent 
			 The Wildernesse School Kent 
			 Thamesview School Kent 
			 Northfleet Technology College Kent 
			 The Malling School Kent 
			 St. George's Church of England Foundation School Kent 
			 The Canterbury High School Kent 
			 Chaucer Technology School Kent 
			 Brockhill Park Performing Arts College Kent 
			 The Charles Dickens School Kent 
			 Coombe Boys' School Kingston upon Thames 
			 Joseph Ruston Technology College Lincolnshire 
			 The Castle Hills Community Arts College Lincolnshire 
			 John Spendluffe Foundation Technology College Lincolnshire 
			 St. Hugh's C of E Mathematics and Computing College Lincolnshire 
			 The Giles School Lincolnshire 
			 New Brompton College Medway 
			 The Robert Napier School Medway 
			 The Radcliffe School Milton Keynes 
			 Costessey High School Norfolk 
			 George Pindar Community Sports College North Yorkshire 
			 Weavers School Northamptonshire 
			 The Kingswood School Northamptonshire 
			 Magnus C of E School Nottinghamshire 
			 Banbury School Oxfordshire 
			 The City of Portsmouth Boys' School Portsmouth 
			 Manor Foundation Business and Sports College Sandwell 
			 The Heathfield Foundation Technology College Sandwell 
			 Abbeydale Grange School Sheffield 
			 Brymore School Somerset 
			 Belfairs High School Southend-on-Sea 
			 Kingsdale Secondary School Southwark 
			 Stafford Sports College Staffordshire 
			 Jubilee High School Surrey 
			 de Stafford School Surrey 
			 Abraham Darby Specialist School for Performing Arts Telford and Wrekin 
			 The Grays School Media Arts College Thurrock 
			 Sale High School Trafford 
			 Ash Green School Warwickshire 
			 Hartshill School Warwickshire 
			 Salisbury High School Wiltshire 
			 Ridgeway High School Wirral 
			 Moseley Park School Wolverhampton 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Fresh Start Schools  
			 Blakewater College Blackburn with Darwen 
			 Ladybridge High School Bolton 
			 Kings High School Bournemouth 
			 Highcrest Community School Buckinghamshire 
			 da Vinci Community College Derby 
			 Islington Arts and Media School Islington 
			 Kingswood College of Arts Kingston upon Hull, City of 
			 New College Leicester Leicester 
			 St. Clements College Lincolnshire 
			 Bishopsford Community School Merton 
			 All Saints College Newcastle upon Tyne 
			 Corby Community College Northamptonshire 
			 The River Leen School Nottingham 
			 Hadden Park High School Nottingham 
			 Parkwood High School Sheffield 
			 Chase High School Southend-on-Sea 
			 Jubilee High School Surrey

Teachers

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 414W, on teachers, what information his Department holds on the number of newly qualified teachers teaching in secondary schools as a proportion of all teachers in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the number of newly qualified teachers in full-time regular service in local authority maintained secondary schools in England as a proportion of all teachers in similar service in each year from 1997 to 2006, the latest information available.
	
		
			  Newly qualified teachers in full-time regular service as a percentage of all full-time qualified teachers in service: Coverage local authority maintained secondary schools in EnglandYears March 1997 to 2006 
			   Newly qualified teachers (Percentage) 
			 1997 4.6 
			 1998 4.9 
			 1999 4.6 
			 2000 4.6 
			 2001 4.7 
			 2002 5.1 
			 2003 6.0 
			 2004 6.7 
			 2005(1) 6.7 
			 2006(1) 7.1 
			 (1) Provisional.  Note: Newly qualified teachers are those who are recorded as acquiring qualified teacher status in the calendar year prior to that where they are recorded in service.  Source: Database of Teacher Records

Teachers: Age

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the average age of a teacher was  (a) in 1997 and  (b) at the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average length of time was that a teacher had spent in the profession  (a) in 1997 and  (b) at the latest date for which information is available.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the average age and length of service of full-time regular qualified teachers in service in local authority maintained schools in England in March 1997 and 2006, the latest information available.
	
		
			  Average age and length of service( 1) , in years, of full-time regular qualified teachers: Coverage local authority maintained sector schools in EnglandMarch 1997 and 2006 
			   Age  Length of service 
			 1997 41.0 14.3 
			 2006(2) 40.9 13.5 
			 (1) Length of service is the total length of teachers service recorded in the source data and may include service completed outside of the English maintained sector. (2) Provisional.  Source: Database of Teacher Records.

Teachers: Vacancies

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school teacher vacancies there were in (i) Leeds West constituency, (ii) Leeds Metropolitan District and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: Information is available for teacher vacancies for individual local authorities but not by constituency. The following table provides the number of full-time vacancies in Leeds local authority and England for each year from 2003 to 2008 where available. Vacancy numbers and rates for 2008 by local authority, including Leeds, are expected to be published in September.
	
		
			  Full-time vacancies( 1)  in local authority maintained nursery/primary and secondary schools, January of each year: CoverageEngland and Leeds local authority years 2003-08 
			   Leeds LA  England 
			   Nursery/ Primary  Secondary  Nursery/Primary  Secondary 
			 2003 9 23 1,114 2,050 
			 2004 5 34 778 1,627 
			 2005 2 20 743 1,553 
			 2006 6 8 709 1,340 
			 2007 0 0 658 1,214 
			 2008(2) (3) (3) 872 1,471 
			 (1) Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one terms duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis by a teacher with a contract of less than one term. (2) Provisional. (3) Not available.  Note: Excludes city technology colleges and academies.  Source: Annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies, 618g

Truancy: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the percentage was of pupils in secondary education in Gloucestershire was classed as persistent absentees in each year for which figures are available, broken down by school.

Kevin Brennan: The first year for which information on persistent absentees is available relates to 2005/06 and covers secondary schools only. In 2006/07 the scope of collection also extended to primary and special schools.
	Local level information on the percentage of persistent absentees in secondary schools in 2005/06 and 2006/07 has been published in Table 7.2 of the Statistical First Release: Pupil Absence in Schools in England at
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000775/index.shtml
	School level absence data are published as part of the Achievement and Attainment Tables, which can be found at
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/.
	However, the inclusion of a persistence absence rate is a new indicator that will be available in 2008 tables.
	The requested information for 2005/06 and 2006/07 could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Writing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department has issued on the teaching of handwriting in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Through the National Strategies this Department has produced the following guidance on handwriting for schools in the last five years:
	Support materialsDeveloping Early Writing May 2001have been provided to schools. Additional materials will be provided in January 2009 to schools which link spelling and handwriting.
	Primary Framework October 2006: A strand of the Primary Framework for Literacy is dedicated to presentation skills, including handwriting. This provides objectives for every year group from Reception to Year 6.
	Letters and Sounds April 2007: Our phonics resource, Letters and Sounds, contains general guidance on the teaching of handwriting to young children.
	The primary framework assessment sectionJanuary 2008also contains exemplification of writing through Levels 2-5.
	These materials are for guidance and how to teach handwriting, including when to introduce a joined-up script, remains a school based decision. There is no nationally prescribed scheme and no requirement to teach a particular style or script.

Youth Services: Advisory Bodies

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the protocol for joint working on the Youth Board, developed by his Department and the Ministry of Justice.

Beverley Hughes: The Machinery of Government changes in June 2007 gave the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice joint responsibility for youth justice. The Management Statement and Financial Memorandum, which sets out the framework within which the Youth Justice Board and the Departments will operate, is being redrafted. A copy will be placed in the House Library when it is available.